Moonflower
by Nadeshiko Shiraishi
Summary: If Aya was the sun, and he, the earth, then she'd be the moon. (Inspired by the GREE version of Be My Princess, plus a bit of Non-GREE, and a past RP.)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Dear Miss Shiraishi,_

_We, of the Royal Medical Household of the Palace of Oriens, are pleased to offer you a position as the Head Physician to the Household-_

"Pardon me, miss, but would you care for a drink and some snacks?"

Nadeshiko's violet eyes immediately left the letter and locked with the flight attendant's, who sent a practised smile her way. Her mouth hung open a little still drunk in the midst of what she was previously engrossed in. The attendant features shifted into a look of wonder and tilted her head to one side, "Miss?"

"O—Oh, yes, pardon me for a moment there," she smiled sheepishly-a tinge of pink had bloomed upon her cheeks. "I think I'll have to pass the offer. Thank you for asking, though."

"No problem." Another smile. And she moved on.

Instead of resuming what she was doing, she turned her focus out to the clouds instead.

* * *

"_Something came in the mail for you today~" her roommate strutted in waving a large white envelope in hand and then passed it to glide across the table where she was before bouncing over to her bedroom. Nadeshiko tore her gaze away from the laptop and blinked at the envelope a few times before flipping it over. Her fingers twitched into a halt before she could open as she saw the Oriens Kingdom's seal and she decided walk over to the nearest cabinet to grab a rarely used letter opener. Once the outside was torn, a wad of paper was revealed inside. At the top of the pile, was a letter of-_

"_Why are your fingers shaking?" her roommate spoke as she attempted to lean in and peer at the contents. Unfeigned by her sudden presence, Nadeshiko did not utter a word, but instead thrust the papers into the light blonde's hand._

_Though she was a bit perplexed, her eyes briefly scanned the letter before shouting, "WHAT? You got a job offer to work for the palace?!"_

_She numbly bobbed her head in response._

"_That's insane! I mean, you're smart—but wow, the royal palace in your home country! It's also like what, six months before residency is over? That's amazing! Congrats!"_

"_It's not like I accepted the job offer yet, Nicky," she spoke after composing herself._

"_You're not?" her bright green eyes flashed in bewilderment. _

"_I didn't say I wasn't going to," she grinned cheekily which her roommate stuck her tongue out in return._

"_Hey, wait. Do you think this has anything to do with your childhood friend who's now the Princess?"_

_The raven haired young woman crossed her arms and shook her head, "First off, I don't think it's her job to oversee and hire new staff in the Medical Household. Secondly, we've lost contact for about two decades. Finally, I don't believe she'd be the type to play favourites." _

"_Well, isn't it some kind of wonderful fate, then? Maybe you'll end up meeting that other long lost childhood friend of yours or maybe she might know where he is. You know, the one that you had-"_

"_Flight attendants, prepare for landing please. Ladies and gentleman, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full up-right position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all electronic devices until we are safely parked at the gate. Thank you."_

* * *

She immediately alarmed herself out of her daze and focused at the task at hand by triple checking everything. For the remainder of the flight until landing, anxiety and excitement filled her enough to not think of anything consistent.

* * *

Yu tugged against the sleeve of his suit to reveal a wristwatch that read half past noon. Five minutes after the flight was scheduled to land. Give or take fifteen minutes, she would be stepping out into Terminal 1's parking lot. He mused to himself jovially at the surprising turn in events.

As Lord High Steward, the suggestions of any new staff would have to go through him for extensive background checks in order to get his signature of approval. Never could he have imagined who the Head of the Medical Household had suggested to be the new physician after the previous one's retirement.

The limousine's back window moved down and out poked an auburn lady's head whose eyes were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses.

"Yuyu, will she be out soon?"

"Soon, yes, and Aya, you shouldn't be poking your head out. You're at an airport with a limo and a butler, there are high chances that you could be spotted," Yu turned towards her and chided in a brotherly manner. "And though they help somewhat, sunglasses cannot completely shield your appearance."

Aya parted her lips to utter an apology, but before she had the chance someone in the distance caught her eye.

"There she is, Yuyu!"

* * *

Nadeshiko's eyes darted around the parking lot as she stood in front of the terminal entrance. Her sight soon locked onto the black limousine that glistened in the warm sunlight, which stuck out in the parking lot like a DMS sign in a highway at night. Her gaze then moved from the raven haired man dressed in a butler uniform, like the ones she'd often see in movies, who smiled softly at her direction causing nostalgia to bubble within her. Heat rose to her cheeks and she immediately shied her eyes away. Before she could contemplate about how familiar his appearance was and the way she reacted, she met eyes with someone waving to her in the limo—someone she knew well.

"Aya-chan..." the name rolled out of her lips fondly and she speed walked over with a huge grin. However, she halted her steps as she was able to get a better view of the butler and gaped.

"I-It can't be... Yu-chan?!"

The smile did not once falter from the man's face, "It's been a while, Nana-chan."

She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something intelligible, but instead...

"Wow, umm, I can't believe, wow, please, give me a moment to, wow."

And turned her back away for a few moments to take a few deep breaths before facing them.

"Sorry about that," she bowed low enough to conceal the temporary embarrassment on her cheeks.

"You don't need to bow with us," Aya's lips curved into a good-natured smile as she pushed her sunglasses down to get a brighter view before her, but shoved them back to their place right after Yu glanced at her worriedly. "Oh, yes, my appearance. Sorry."

"Sorry, force of habit, I'm afraid," Nadeshiko grinned wryly before eyes flickered a brief moment to catch a glance of the surroundings behind her. "I think it would be best if I scoot myself inside the limousine now. The longer we loiter here the higher the risks are of being spotted."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Yu replied before eyeing her suitcase. "May I?"

Out of knee-jerk reaction, she opened her mouth to refuse, but her mind soon decided best against it knowing he would continue to be adamant about it until she caved.

"You may, and thank you very much. I hope it isn't too heavy."

"Oh, I've missed you!" Aya pulled Nadeshiko in for a tight embrace when she got in the vehicle. The raven haired woman embraced back with equal force and close her eyes happily soaking in the pleasure of the hug while giggling lightly. They gently pulled away at the same time and Aya grasped her childhood friend's hand. Her honey coloured eyes sparkled as she studied Nadeshiko's appearance.

"Look at you! You're so pretty now! Not that you weren't before, but you know, in a more mature way. Also, congratulations! You're a doctor!"

"You've grown to become a beautiful woman, too. Congratulations on your marriage, by the way."

A blush. "Haha, thank you!" A sudden melancholic look. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to invite you to the wedding, though."

Nadeshiko shook her head. "There's no need for apologies. We've lost contact long ago. If anything, I should be sorry for never contacting after I moved to Liberty."

"You don't need to be sorry either. I'm sure there were circumstances. I mean, long distance plays a big factor and we were so young. But! We're united now and we have lots to catch up on! The good thing is, we'll have plenty of time together from now on. Isn't that right, Yuyu?"

Yu, who had been behind the wheel, gave a small chuckle while still facing straight ahead, "I thought you two had forgotten about me."

"Yuyu, we could never!" Aya feigned shock as she played along with him. Then, she noticed the scenery. The tall grey buildings, series of traffic lights, bustling crowd and honking cars from what seemed like was there a minute before was replaced by tall trees aligned in perfect order as they, the only car on the road, drove through. Not too far in the distance, the palace in all its architectural glory could be distinctly seen.

"Time sure does fly," Nadeshiko thought aloud as she too cast a glance at their destination.

Yu dusted his uniform out of habit after the suitcase was gently placed onto the ground before focusing his attention to the two ladies beside him.

"Now, Princess Ayaka has to meet up with the two princes for lunch. Meanwhile, I'll escort Doctor Shiraishi to see the Head of the Medical Household. Don't worry about your belongings, by the way. I'll have someone place it in your room as soon as we're inside."

"Alright," the brunette nodded and eyed her two friends reluctantly before her lips curved into a small smile. "I'll see you both later. Take care!"

After Aya's retreating figure was no longer in sight, Yu, in perfect posture, bowed before her.

"Right this way, Doctor Shiraishi."

He peered up at her in the midst of his bow, however, and winked.

She placed her palm in front of her lips to suppress a giggle of relief before speaking in a professional tone. "Thank you very much."

* * *

The door closed behind her with a click and she was left standing in the office waiting for her presence to be recognize by the lone elderly man who sat amidst that towering stacks of papers piled on the cherrywood coloured desk at the centre of the room.

His eyes were as silvery as his thinned hair. They never left the page for a moment even when Yu had announced her presence before leaving. Instead, he continued to be engrossed in his paperwork. Only the furious scribbling sounds of pen on paper and the the tick-tock noises of the wall clock was heard in the room as she patiently stood.

Minutes later, the fountain pen halted abruptly before the man acknowledged her presence.

"Miss Shiraishi, I presume?" his voice drew out slowly; it was evident that it wasn't only his physical appearance that aged over the years. He lowered his rectangular spectacles to peer at her.

"Yes, that is I," she spoke carefully.

"I'm Fujiwara Masashi. You may call me Doctor Fujiwara like everyone else here, and as you can see..." he tapped his pen to the side of the golden nameplate sitting on the desk. "I'm the Head of the Medical Household."

"It is my pleasure and honour to make your acquaintance," she bowed deeply with grace, though, there was little reaction from the man.

"Yes, well, take a seat." He motioned to the two Victorian chairs in front of the desk. She walked over, sat with her back straight, and hands neatly placed on her lap.

"I trust you've thoroughly read the papers we sent you already? Especially the ones that list your responsibilities and benefits?"

"Yes, I have."

"Alright then," he nodded and continued. "Those are only part of your responsibilities. In addition, as the Physician to the Household, you are to serve as the Physician to Prince Glenn, Princess Ayaka, and Prince Alan. If fact, they will be your main focus. You are to be travelling with them when they are on tour whether outside of the city or abroad, primarily Prince Glenn and Princess Ayaka since Prince Alan is not of age to be making many abroad trips. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes."

He nodded, strode over to the coffeemaker nearby and poured filled his mug causing the aroma to waft into the air. "Since you're the youngest of the head Physicians among the six nations and we can't have too many physicians travelling all at once, you'll be in charge of the other Princes' health during their visits and whenever the Prince and Princess travels with them."

A pause. A sip.

"Right. Now, I have arranged for a meeting tomorrow at 2 o'clock afternoon on the dot at the Sayuri. You will be introduced to the medical staff and we will be discussing about the upcoming annual physical examinations taking place in two weeks. You may be dismissed now."

"Thank you very much for your time. I bid you a good day." Another graceful bow and the door closed with a soft click.

* * *

Her room was better than her expectations. Of course, the decorations were kept to bare a minimum, but the bed was queen size, the closet could fit twice the wardrobe she had packed (though she didn't pack much to begin with), and there was a dresser with a large mirror. The only thing was bugged her the scent. Lilac? Lavender? Well, whatever it was, her nose didn't like it one bit and it did not hesitate to send her a heads up through a sneeze. With quick thinking, it was covered by her handkerchief and then she headed to lift the window up.

She took a long and deep inhale at the fresh air that breezed in before convincing herself to start unpacking.

By late evening, everything was unpacked and in place, she was bathed, and best of all, the weird floral air freshener scent was long gone. After she finished drying herself, she sunk her back into the mattress and closed her eyes. So many thoughts spun in her head to even feel a tiny bit sleepy, however. Not even her body felt jetlagged. Instead, she began to actively recall the events of today in her head. She couldn't stop feeling giddy inside as she thought about Ayaka and... Yu. She was glad that they still were the friends she knew back then—except more mature now, of course.

"_It's some kind of wonderful fate."_

During the haziness of her daze, she could hear a faint rapping sound. It prolonged and gradually became a bit louder. Reason finally registered and she sprung up. She hastily grabbed the light blue fleece bathrobe the hung from the emerald green armchair in front of the dresser and slid her arms inside the sleeves.

"Coming!" Her voice rang out to reach the person on the other side as her fingers fumbled to tie the knot and secured the robe with a final tug.

She turned the door knob and tilted her head towards the opening while the rest of her body was hidden behind the door. Almost immediately, she was able to identify the visitor and fully opened the door in response eyes filled with wonder.

"Yu-chan, what brings you here so late at night? Not to mention..." she observed his profile down and up. White short sleeved button down shirt unbuttoned, smokey blue t-shirt, navy khakis, and... sneakers?

"Umm... casually dressed."

"You haven't eaten anything since you came here, didn't you? Did you even eat on the plane?" Yu enquired in a neutral tone.

"Oh, come to think of it... I guess I forgot," she gave a sheepish laugh.

"That's not good, Nana-chan, you should be watching your health in order to take care of others, especially since you're a doctor," he scolded, but then smiled. "However, that's a lucky thing for me today. Would you like to go out and eat with me then?"

She blinked blankly a few times. "Out, as in out of the palace? Is that really okay? Also, it is unhealthy to be eating so late at night."

"Once in a while, yes," he nodded. "It may be unhealthy to eat at night, but it is even more unhealthy to let yourself starve the whole day."

"...That is true," she bit her lip, "but wouldn't we be easily noticed if you used the limousine? Or are we walking?"

"We'll be using my car," he replied, leaned down a little so he'd be at her level and reached out to pat her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Nana-chan, I've planned it all out. All you have to do is agree."

"By the way, Yu-chan, I wanted to ask you a question."

His eyes fixed themselves straight ahead as he concentrated on maneuverings through the traffic and nodded, "Go ahead."

"What exactly is your occupation in the palace? I understand that you are a butler judging from your suit, but you do not behave like a regular butler since you command the maids and other butlers," she questioned as she stared at his driving profile.

"I'm... the Lord High Steward. Sorry, it must have slipped my mind and I forgot to mention," his eyes wandered to her for a second to show his sincerity and resumed his focus as the light turned green with a melancholic look. "Also, I'm sorry for the way I suddenly behaved earlier. However, it's best if we act like we do not know eachother, including with Aya. It would only cause you trouble in the near future."

"Please, do not worry about that," she shook her head lightly, "I have worked with enough professionals now, so I perfectly understand your reasoning. Although, the wink was too much of a giveaway."

His eyes twinkled humorously and chuckled, "Thank you for understanding. Also, we're going to need to park here and walk the rest of the way. It should only be a few more minutes."

A man turned to them as they entered and beam, "Welcome, welcome! Oh—well, if it isn't Yu! I haven't seen you in a while-" He then noticed Nadeshiko behind Yu and gaped. "...Is this a girl you're bringing with you?"

"It's nice to see you again, Atsumu-san, and allow me to introduce," he motioned his hand to Nadeshiko, "Atsumu, this is Nadeshiko Shiraishi. She's my childhood friend." He motioned to Atsumu. "Nadeshiko this is Atsumu Kashiwabara, the owner of this place. I helped him a few years ago while running an errand and he invited me over to eat as a token of gratitude. We've been acquainted ever since."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kashiwabara-san," she replied politely and bowed.

"It's nice to meet you, too! You can call me Boss or Atsumu instead and please, have a seat. But, childhood friend, huh? That's a shame," he frowned. "Here I was thinking that Yu finally got himself a cute girlfriend. He never brought a girl here before."

"I never brought anyone here before," Yu teased as Nadeshiko and him climbed up the stools.

"Touche. Anyways," he passed them the menu, "here you go and here you go."

She ran her fingers through the laminated surface of the menu and furrowed her eyebrows at the options. After a few minutes, she turned to Yu, who patiently waited for her, "Yu-chan, what would you recommend?"

"Hmm, let's see," he touched his chin and thought for a moment. "The most popular dish here is pork noodles."

"What's that?"

Suddenly a customer nearby raised their voice at her in anger causing both Yu and her to jump out of their skin, "You don't know what pork noodles are!? Have you been living under a rock or something?"

"Now, now, Takkun, don't be rude," Boss spoke as if he was scolding a child before turning to the two and whispered, "Sorry, he's just a pork noodle fanatic. It's ramen with broth made from pork bones with a dash of sesame oil to put simply."

"Alright," she nodded and turned her menu in. "Then I'll have that and an iced matcha tea."

"I'll have the same, but with iced oolong tea."

In fifteen minutes, their orders came and she could smell the deliciousness steaming up from the bowl. She gently dipped her spoon in the cloudiness of the broth and it to took a sip. A rich and light buttery taste spread through her tastebuds. She the lifted her chopsticks and brought the noodles to her lips. The intensity of the taste soaked in there as well.

"Yu-chan!" she turned to him eagerly with glittery eyes, "It's so delicious!"

Yu, who had been studying her to see her reception, patted her head as his sapphire eyes crinkled in delight. "That's a nice smile you have there."

"Yu-chan, my hair will spill onto the bowl. "

She ducked her head away and pretend to focus back on her food, knowing the heat she felt pumping against her ears was a dead giveaway.

He pulled his hand away. "Hehe, sorry about that. By the way, what do you think of this place?"

"It's lively, but isn't overly crowded, friendly, and the fox decorations are really cute," she grinned as she waved the black fox pepper shaker in her hand. Then she realized.

"Yu-chan... thank you so much. You took me out here to help me feel more at ease, didn't you?"

"Half that and the other half is..." he raised his glass. "Congratulations on your success."

Her eyes became a little moist, and she silently nodded as she clinked her glass against his.

"Oh, yes. Were able to locate your room with little trouble? I understand that it can be difficult to find your way around at a large and unfamiliar place for a lot of people. Aya got lost frequently when she first came here."

"Well," she paused and grinned impishly, "I've had plenty of experience locating myself around buildings designed to confuse humans. On top of that, I received very precise, yet easy instructions from a certain butler."

"Oh? And who is this kind fellow?" he asked playfully.

She cross her arms and tapped a finger against her chin while thoughtfully glancing upwards, "Mhmm, he's tall, dark, and handsome."

"He sounds like quite the mystery."

"Indeed."

There was a short silence before they pffted and burst into laughter.

The palace was unlit, by the time they returned and they had to tip toe across the hallway with much difficulty to her room to make sure not a being stirred awake, since not even the sky provided any source of light as it was the new moon. Yu bid her a goodnight and turned his back away to head to bed when he felt a small tug against the hem of his sleeve. Nadeshiko gave him a shy look and asked in a soft voice, "Umm, I just remembered that Doctor Fujiwara told me to meet him at the Sayuri tomorrow afternoon. Where exactly is that?"

He took her hand in his and gave a comforting pat, "It's the name for the biggest staff meeting room we have. Don't worry, I'm sending a maid to give you a tour of the place in the morning after breakfast, since I need to catch up on a few duties. You should be able to find it before the meeting starts. Then, sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! _

She let out a long, long groan and rolled across the bed to distance herself from the noise.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

She cover her ears with her pillow to die down the volume.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

She buried herself into the sheets and groaned some more.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

She growled, threw the sheets and pillow away, crawled over to the nightstand with a glare...

_BEEP! BEEP! SLAM!_

And curled back to bed. Unfortunately, all she did was toss and turn. With a sigh, she dragged her footsteps to the bathroom.

Once she was out, refresh and changed, she pulled the curtains back so that every inch of the room was touched by sunlight and gazed dreamily at the clouds. She wasn't sure what force made her did what she did in the midst of her daydream, but she suddenly turned her gaze downwards. There, she saw three figures and leaned her forehead against the cool surface of the window to get a better look. Two, of whom she knew well, and the other who she often saw on television. They were in deep conversation until the two brunettes walked away hand in hand. The raven haired man didn't follow, but merely stood in his place at the garden with a forlorn look at the woman.

She felt it was as if she was an anchor that keeping falling deeper, and deeper, until hit the cold, dark floor of the ocean with a thud.

Because she now knew...

Of course, of all things that remained the same, this one was sure to be one of them from the start.

And she should have realized it sooner.


	2. Chapter 2

She felt her legs buckle and she sank down knees first to the floor. Time stood still as all she did was stare blankly at the teal carpet floor while remaining motionless. Deep in her thoughts, she could hear something in the distance gradually trying to pull her back. Its sharp sound hit her in full alert and she raised her head up to view the door that shook a little each time there was a series of knocks.

Quickly, she placed her palms against the rough carpet and pulled herself up to scramble to the door. After taking a few deep breaths, she turned the knob, and opened the door, which revealed a petite young maid who gave her a grade A business-like smile and a bow.

"I apologize for the wait," her voice drew out and she forced out a smile mirroring the maid's own.

"That's quite alright, Doctor Shiraishi. Shall we start the tour now or were you able to have breakfast yet?"

She raised her wristwatch to view before answering, "Let us see... How about I grab something quick to eat at the staffroom and then we can commence the tour?"

"Certainly."

* * *

"This here is the Sayuri and you've probably noticed by now that the doors of meeting rooms, dining halls, the grand salon, and other important rooms each have a different flower design on their door frames," the young maid pointed at the carved orange lily designs outlining the double-leaf door.

"Orange lilies for Sayuri, the largest staff room; Lotuses for Renge, the praying room; yellow chrysanthemums for Kigiku, the Audience Chamber; daffodils for Suisen, the grand salon, and so on, right?"

The maid's eyes widened a bit and her mouth formed to an o shape before composing herself, "Yes, that is correct. If you've picked up on what the rooms look like from its interior design, then I suspect you know how to navigate your way now?"

"Yes, that is so."

"I must admit that I am astonished you picked it up so quickly. "

"It's nothing that impressive," she shook her head lightly.

"Oh, but it is," the maid assured in a mildly persistent manner. "Many of us, not just the staff, had trouble locating ourselves in the beginning. I remember wishing there would be some sort of map or colour-coded lines on the walls."

She flapped her hand back and forth, "It's not something quite impressive. You just pick up a thing or two after memorizing volumes of books dealing with human anatomy and so on. Mmm, this is a silly question but, is there any reason why different flowers are used for different rooms aside of assisting in differentiating them?"

"Hmm," the maid pondered, "If you're referring to the language of flowers, then I don't believe so. I mean, Sayuri, in the language of flowers means hatred or revenge, from what I know. That meaning wouldn't really suit any kind of room in the palace let alone a staff meeting room."

"I see. I was a tad curious, but it looks like I was mistaken."

"No problem. Then, we'll now move on to our final destination where the medical wing is, more specifically, to where your office will be."

Once they reached the office, she relieved the maid from her duties, saying she could take care of herself from there. She then glanced up at the nameplate upon the door and unconsciously traced across the carvings of her name and nadeshiko flower design on the side.

_How cute._

* * *

She poked her head through the door of the office soon after. Inside the office was pretty much pure white, from the walls to the minimal furniture, much like a hospital environment, with the exception of the disinfectant smell. She was about to step into the room until she heard a few beeps coming from her phone and glanced at the numbers on the screen. It read half past one. With that, she thought best of it and headed to the meeting room.

There weren't kidding when they said it was the biggest staffroom. It was designed in a style that resembled a lecture hall at university. Though, the staff of the Medical Household filled roughly a third of the seats.

"Before I kick-start the meeting, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Shiraishi. She will be taking over Doctor Tanaka's position as Head Physician of the Household since, as you all know by now, he recently went into retirement," Doctor Fujiwara spoke into the microphone, his voice rang with authority. "Miss Shiraishi..."

He then step aside and motioned her to come to the podium. With perfect poise, she made her way there and adjusted the microphone to a comfortable position.

"Ahem. As Doctor Fujiwara has introduced moments ago, I'm Nadeshiko Shiraishi and I am now a part of the Medical Household. I will be in everyone's care from now on. I hope I will be able to learn from everyone and I look forward to be working together with this group of talented and dedicated medical staff. Thank you very much."

The hall applauded generously and she walked back to her front row seat feeling wobbly with every step. Though, from an outsider's point of view she appeared to have everything together.

"Thank you, Miss Shiraishi. Now, I'd asked those who are involved with our annual physical examinations to please remain seated while the rest may be dismissed."

With as little noise as possible, they filed out of the hall upon request.

"Now then, for this year, I'll be in charge with organizing the examinations since this year and we'll be following the same procedures that Doctor Tanaka like always. This year, we have approximately 563 staff members in the palace, excluding the Medical Household, 85 royal council members and 117 royal family members. Judging by the average time of each person taking 30 to 45 minutes , they should last for about a week to a week and a half..."

* * *

She dumped the four piles of files on her desk, making a small thud each time, and then sunk into her chair with a heavy sigh.

_Paperwork._

She eyed it for a few minutes and kept jumping from one thought to another in her head.

How many pens would be in her trash bin by the time she finished this? How many trees were killed to make these papers? Would she be able to finish them all tonight if she motored through? What are Aya-chan and Yu-cha-

Her body stiffened considerably and she mentally removed herself away from such thoughts in the only few ways she knew how to.

Wasting no further time, she slapped her cheeks a few times, set the timer on her phone, put on her glasses, snipped open a new pen pack, and began to plough through.

The alarm sounded her coincidentally after she placed a completed patient file on the side and she glanced over to the unfinished stacks, which was about... one eighth of the way done. _Oh well._

* * *

She stuck her head into the one of the staff dining rooms and entered after Yu's lack of presence was confirmed. However, it must have either been one of the less occupied rooms or the fact that it was a bit late for supper since there were only about a dozen staff members lounging around. Some of them engaged in idle talk with her as they ate. Through them, she learned that the Prince and Princess were out that day, which explained a lot.

Half an hour later, everyone left to resume their tasks. She too, decided to get back to work and stacked her empty plate and utensils in the bin where they'd be taken into kitchen after. As she was about to leave, the door swung open and in burst an unfamiliar middle aged man. He wore a white coat beneath his olive coloured suit, and as for his appearance, all she could really describe was that he resembled a hawk. It didn't take long for him to notice her presence and approached her with a friendly smile. Nadeshiko, on the other hand, knew that type of smile too well.

"I didn't realize there would be anyone remaining here at this time. You must be Miss Shiraishi, our new recruit! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Matsuda, the Sergeant Surgeon. You probably don't recognize me since I didn't attend the meeting. I had a surgery to perform earlier," he spoke slowly and extended a hand out. "You're probably more accustomed to Libertian traditions rather than Oriensians, I take?"

She grasped his hand and have a firm shake, "Though, I spent most of my life in Liberty, I am fine either way. Besides, like they always say, "When in Rome, do what Romans do." Thank you for being considerate, though."

"I must say, your last name is eerily familiar," he then stroke his chin and blatantly feigned an epiphany. "Ah! I've got it now. The Shiraishi Enterprise supplies the Royal Family with medical supplies and pharmaceutical drugs for many generations, right? Could it be that you're somehow connected to them?"

Somehow she did not like where this was going as her inner reactions proved to be more correct by the passing seconds, but continued to answer courteously, despite knowing she was playing into his game, "You are quite sharp, Doctor Matsuda. My grandmother is in fact, the CEO of the enterprise."

"My, my, what an fascinating revelation that is! It is no wonder you were chosen out of all the possible candidates. Not to mention you're blessed with beauty and the advantage of your gender," he spoke flippantly while still remaining his friendly smile, but his eyes spoke a different story. "Let us hope that you will somehow live up to your title as Head Physician, otherwise it would be quite troublesome, wouldn't it?"

He may have pulled a straight flush, but she wouldn't be defeated so easily and remained unfazed as ever, "Indeed, that would be quite a predicament. I'll make sure to uphold my title, otherwise the years of hard work in school and residency would go down the drain. Thank you very much for your concern."

Despite her inner protests, she presented him with a deep bow, "I apologize I cannot converse with you any further, since I have much work to take care of with the upcoming examinations. I bid you a good evening."

She left and walked down the hall to find a washroom to wash her hand. A part of her was tempted to hurl out her supper, as well. However, she knew by now that there would always be people like him wherever she went.

* * *

By nine, she called it a day and returned to the sanctuary of her room. Her mind was yet again, wide awake and she found herself staring out the window while on her bed, hugging her knees close to her chest with wrapped around her body. Her sense of time was lost as she continued to think of many things. The past, the bad, the unwanted.

Until her phone vibrated on the nightstand, causing her to involuntarily flinch. She still remained in her position until it kept vibrating and vibrating and-

"I can see you are a persistent caller like always," she answered flatly.

"Only when it comes to you," the other end of the line replied back and she can almost imagine them sticking their tongue out at her. "Becca's on the line, too, since she finally has some time to herself after flying all over the place. So, we're doing three-way."

"You just like using that term on purpose," the person under the name of "Becca" chimed in and rolled her eyes.

"Guilty, as charged. Anyways, we're calling today to see how the Head Physician of the Oriens' Royal Household is doing. God, that's a mouthful," Nicky sighed.

She became silent for a moment. "I'm more or less alive."

There was a long deafening pause between the three of them.

"Okay, okay. Well, here's what happened..."

And so she spilled. About Aya, about Yu, and what she saw.

"I told you so! You were all like, "Blah, blah, blah, I've already given up long ago, blah, blah, blah, I can't compare to Aya-chan," and look what we have here, you still really like him."

"Nicky, you're not helping," Becca reprimanded.

"Okay fine, but you sure you weren't just overreacting?" Nicky spoke raising an eyebrow.

"I might be, but my intuition hasn't really failed for these things. Remember both of your exes, and those guys who confessed?" she replied as she threw her back against the bed.

"But the only way to really find out is to be direct," Becca pointed out as she twirled her brown looks with a finger. "So, I think you should ask. You're childhood friends, there's no harm in asking. It also saves you from the eternal curiosity."

She sighed. "It's because we're childhood friends that I can't ask. Do you understand how awkward that would be and what if he says he still loves her?"

"Isn't it more awkward to walk around on eggshells? Besides, she's happily married," the blonde argued between bites of cheese and crackers. "Maybe, this might be a chance for you to take advantage of the situation and you know, get him to see you as a woman."

"I don't think it would stop someone like Yu from feeling what he feels because of that. I think the important thing here is to get him to move on and be happy, not so much about my desires or what's left of it. Prolonging such things will be miserable for both of them, that is if Aya-chan already knows about it."

"And it would be miserable for you, too," Becca replied firmly. "Look, you know very well that the only way to help him is ask and be there for him. If you really care for him, you wouldn't be holding back like this and I know Nicky means the same thing. She just has trouble wording things as you know."

"Hey!"

Her reflex was to deny, but she was unable to find any words of such nature. "Well-I—you're right. I just need to find the right opportunity to ask. Thank you, guys."

"No problem. We're here for you and tell us how it goes."

* * *

Unfortunately, there was no such opportunity the next few days as she was buried in work. The only chance she had any sort of human interaction was when she was scheduling check-up appointments and during mealtimes with the chefs as she discovered the kitchen provided a more recluse atmosphere, despite the clanging of pots and pans.

Yu was also quite busy as he spent most of his time outside accompanying the Prince and Princess for public events. When he was present in the palace, he would be migrating from one place to another or asleep. She even had to text him for his appointment.

As for the surgeon, she had the misfortune of bumping into him a few times in the corridors. Luckily, there was always a few third party members around within earshot, so he maintained his facade of friendliness, which she must admit he did an excellent job of. Perhaps he could have been an actor instead.

"Look at me, the pot calling the kettle black," she smiled bitterly to herself.

The first day of the examination came, with the very earliest patient being Prince Glenn, followed by Aya, who Nadeshiko hadn't seen in a while. They chatted while she worked her way through the list of what needed to be checked-up, though, Aya frequently squirmed or giggled throughout the whole session claiming it was weird now that she was her doctor.

"But we use to play hospital all the time, back then," she responded a bit confused as she strapped the pneumatic armlet around the brunette's arm.

"Then and now are different," Aya insisted as she waiting for the constriction to be over. "We were kids who pretended to wrap eachother in imaginary bandages and give check-ups for our supposedly flu-riden stuffed toys. Now, you're an actual doctor. Everything oozes professional and seriousness when you work, even though your demeanour is lax and friendly with me."

"I'm sure it's the same for you when you're taking body measurements, though," she raised an eyebrow, giving Aya the "Am I right?" look before allowing the pressure to subside. "And done, looks like your blood pressure is normal. Also, your husband was here earlier, as you know. From the interaction we had, he spoke of you very fondly and he's very mature. I'm glad you've found happiness. Oriens is blessed to have you two as its future King and Queen."

Aya's face turned red as a raspberry and stuttered modest words of gratitude.

Her heart thumped faster then normal as she sat behind her desk waiting for the next two patients to come in. She got caught up in smoothing the surface of her navy wrap skirt and fidgeting with the safety pin decorate with charms. Then, a few light knocks were heard and she startled herself into a upright sitting position with one hand placed neatly on the top of the other on the cool surface of the table.

"Ahem, please, come in," she spoke in the best doctor-like tone she could make, whatever that was.

The door creaked slowly and in poked a timid little boy's head. He stared at her hesitantly and she stared at him back with her mouth gaping, but then fixed it to a normal smile. From the other side of the door she could hear a familiar voice soothingly coaxing the boy to get inside. The boy still stood rigid in his place.

Witnessing the scene before her, she gathered up her resolve, walked towards the boy, who cowered behind the door slightly, and bowed to him.

"It is my honour to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Nadeshiko. I'll be your doctor from now on," she beamed at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Now, won't you come inside? I'm sure both you and Master Yu must want to sit down, right?"

Prince Alan bore his large chocolate brown eyes into hers, as if searching for something. His cheeks then puffed a little and he stared at the floor.

"You... you won't give me a needle shot today, right?"

"No," she replied earnestly, "Not today, but you know... needle shots aren't that bad. Do you know what they do?"

He shook his head.

"They're like... heroes, in a way. They fight bad guys that try to get inside your body to make you sick. They work very hard to make sure you're healthy. It might hurt a little, but that is the only way they can get into your body to help you and the pain won't last very long. Most importantly, I believe that you are very strong and brave, so when the time comes to get a needle shot, won't you help them fight the bad guys, too?"

She could feel her palms sweat a little as she waited for a reply. It was a gamble with slightly high stakes, but hopefully it would pay off. The small brown haired boy then gave her a bright smile and nodded.

"Of course!"

"Then, please, have a seat over there," she hand motioned to one of the two seats in front of the table on the right which the Prince walked towards. Yu finally fully opened the door to reveal himself. As he entered, he came closer to her and whispered, "Sorry about that, and thank you."

She could feel the part of her ear he whispered in heating up, but she managed to she managed to compose herself with a passive face, "No problem. I worked with kids often."

The check-up proceeded smoothly with Prince Alan, who was now eager to comply to the procedures. Yu's went fairly the same way, until...

"Okay and now for the last thing for this check-up," she said while scribbling down some notes, before looking up to meet Yu's eyes, "we need to get some samples for a blood test."

Yu could feel his body breaking out in cold sweat as he heard Nadeshiko's words. It completely slipped his mind that her work would cover such issues after the previous head retired.

"Bl—blood work, huh?" he searched his mind for something, anything, as long as it was reasonable and glanced at his watch. "Oh, would you look at the time. It seems I need to get some work done soon. I'll just escort Prince Alan-"

The young boy tugged the hem of his shirt and enquired innocently, "But, Yu, didn't you say before coming here that you were glad you're finally getting free time to yourself after this?"

Yu's sapphire eyes shook as he stared at Prince Alan, then to Nadeshiko, who gave him the same smile she wore this whole time. "E—err, then how about I accompany you to play today?"

"I can play by myself," he pouted before resuming his usual bright smile. "Besides, I want you to be healthy."

"His Highness is absolutely right," the violet eyed lady interjected, headed to a cabinet, and pulled out some three tubes, a rubber strap, and the needle, sealed in plastic."Now then, Master Yu, shall we?"

"I really don't think it is necessary," he shook head. "I mean, my health is excellent."

"Really now? Then, I suppose I should stop looking both ways, since I've never been ran over by a car."

"That's-"

"Master Yu, the more you deny, the easier it is to clue in," she spoke, which sliced off their little banter, in a tone that provided no objections to be made. Of course, he could no longer object anyways, now that she was aware.

There was a long silence hanging between them before she offered a different suggestion with a sweet smile, "Then, how about you escort Prince Alan to his room first and then come back here before the next appointment?"

He quietly bobbed his head.

His eyes tensely watched as she firmly tied the rubber strap on his right arm.

"Alright, now, please close your eyes and look the other way," she spoke softly and he complied... with his eyes shut tight. The thin cold metal hadn't been stuck in yet, but he could feel himself begin to become dizzy. At this rate, he'll lose consciousness, just like all the other times. Until he felt something unexpectedly warm on his hand. Surprised, he turned his head around to see that it was the raven haired lady's hand. She stared back at him with a sweet smile.

"Don't worry. I'm right here."

The room no longer felt like it was spinning, and his heart adjusted to a normal rate. The blood test progressed smoothly afterwards.

"You did very well, Master Yu. Would you like a candy as well?" she stuck out a small tin of assorted candy at him with a giggle.

"I think I'll have to pass on that offer, thanks," he waved his hand in rejection, but then scratched his head a little flustered. "Sorry you had to see that. I didn't want you to see that side of me. I'm no longer a kid, I shouldn't be scared of these things, and after what you said to Alan, too."

She shook her head as she popped a caramel chew in her mouth before closing the tin, "There's no need to be sorry. There are plenty of people young and old who faint at the sight of needles. I see it often in my line of work. Fearing them doesn't make yo any less of a butler or a friend. You could have told me sooner, however. Arrangements could have been made."

"I'm sorry. I had completely forgotten," his eyes wavered for a moment before continuing. "I decided to accompany Prince Alan in place of the Prince and Princess, since I thought they should have more time alone together after these past hectic weeks."

Her eyebrows knitted together at his statement, "Umm, Yu-chan... about-"

_Knock, knock, knock!_

They turned their heads at the direction of where the door was located, startled. With a sigh, Yu got up and straightened his suit, "I suppose I should take my leave then."

But as soon as Yu opened the door, he froze when he saw who was standing there.

"Master Yu, is something the matter?" Nadeshiko approached the scene and tilted her head to the side to get a better look. "Oh my, Lord Kaneda! I apologize to have kept you waiting."

She offered him a bow, to which he acknowledged. He continued his staring contest with Yu for a brief moment before Yu finally apologized and excused himself once more. A small frown grew upon her lips as she stared at Yu's back until Lord Kaneda snapped her out of it.

"Shall we proceed to the check-up?"

"Oh, yes, pardon me for a moment," she bowed. "I must be a little tired."

"It seems that your blood pressure is slightly higher than average," she informed as she pressed the button to allow the armlet to decrease in pressure. "Have you been following the dietary plans Doctor Tanaka suggested?"

"Not so much," Lord Kaneda admitted. "The diet plans pretty much scrape a lot of things I enjoy eating. Plus, I attend parties frequently, which pressures me into drinking."

"Hmm, well, I can try coming up with a new one for you that would suit your needs, but in moderation, and I will include the requirement for exercising daily. Do you think that sounds like a better plan?"

"Well, it is your job afterall," he shrugged.

"Indeed." And she started to jot a few notes down, building a wall of silence between them before he spoke up.

"What is your relationship with Yu?"

The pen halted and she glanced up, "Pardon?"

"Don't play innocent with me. I know something is up between the two of you," he glowered. "Did he ever tell you about his past? To be more specific... why he's working in the palace?"

Her mouth formed a thin line and she gave him a hard stare. "I'm terribly sorry, but I think you are mistaken. Master Yu and I are strictly on a co-worker, as well as a physician and patient level."

"Aren't you curious at all?" he smirked as he began to take his leave. "Maybe you should ask him the next time you see him, hmm?"

And the door clicked shut, leaving her to slump into her chair with a loud, loud sigh.

"Of course I'm curious, but..."


	3. Chapter 3

"It's ridiculous!" she declared while her eyes glared at the wall, as if someone was over there. "We're basically being crammed with work for a good month and a half, with barely any breathers. It's paperwork, scheduling, examinations, more paperwork, lab results, and oh, more paperwork! Then, when that's all over, everything becomes quiet, except for the occasional sick visits and the annual flu shot."

"That does seem a little disorganized," the lady sitting directly across from the desk admitted as she swiftly poured some piping hot tea and handed the cup over to the exasperated lady.

"Isn't it, Aya-chan? Some of the physicians are slacking off! One guy bragged about how he beat all the levels of Candie Cube within 5 months!" her head shook before taking hold of the tea cup. " And don't get me started on the patient files! We only use hard copies, which can make them ridiculous find at times. We should be backing them up into digital copies just in case if anything happens!"

"Now, now, you shouldn't get so heated when you're holding the tea cup in your hand," she spoke soothingly. "Also, you should drink it before it gets cold."

"Sorry, Aya-chan. I guess I've just been lacking an adequate amount of fresh air lately," she gave a repentant look before taking a slow sip, her shoulders relaxed. "I shouldn't be taking advantage of your kindness and complaining so much."

"There you go apologizing again," Aya pouted seemingly put off, until she added with a light laugh. "I might have to punish you next time with a tickle."

"Then you're out of luck, because I've gotten ridden of that sense long ago," Nadeshiko said, with a slightly smug tone and smile before immersing herself in the flavour of the cherry rose tea.

A noise of momentary defeat came from the auburn haired lady and she crossed her arms. Then, her eyes sparkled slyly, "Then, how about... this!"

She grabbed both sides of the raven hair lady's face and started to pull. Borderline coherent phrases would come out of the lady like so,

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Aye thaw wroo saed nex taimu!"

Aya grinned from ear to ear and continued to not show any mercy, "It's what you get for being smug!"

"Wret go! Wra cup!"

"It's fine! You already drank everything! Your cheeks are so squishy!"

A few loud knocks echoed into the room and they froze staring at the door. Nadeshiko quickly called out, "Who is it?"

"Pardon me for the sudden visit. It is Yu," a muffled voice responded.

From the other side of the door, he heard a lot of shuffling noises and a few clinks of china before there was a reply, permitting him to enter. Inside of the office were his two childhood friends, elegantly drinking from their individual tea cups. His smile grew considerably wider at the sight before him, until something particular caught his eye.

"Nana-chan, why are your cheeks so red?"

The person in question's eyes grew large for a moment before glancing over at Aya meaningfully, "I was in a bit of a... _pinch_, you could say."

In which Aya glanced meaningfully back. Knowing them so well, one could piece together what might have happened. He finally spoke again after stuffing down his urge to laugh.

"I suspected you would be here, Aya. Glenn has been searching for you."

She removed her lips from the teacup immediately, "That's right! I forgot! Sorry, for abruptly ending our teatime like this, Nana-chan, but I really have to go. Oh! There's also no rush to return the album."

Aya then quickly downed the rest of the warm tea before scrambling to the door, "Thanks for finding me, Yu! I'll see you two later!"

And she made her exit, with her long, wavy ponytail swaying along.

"Well, since you got ditched," Yu started with a soft chuckle and positioned himself to sit on the sofa, "shall I join you for tea?"

"The flavours of the cherry and rose are quite subtle in the blend," he commented after his first sip. "It's really different from the bold flavours I often drink, but I like it."

"I'm glad you like it. It's actually a specially made blend for a hotel my friends and I would sometimes go to during their afternoon tea time. They import it all the way from a certain company in Oriens," she explained before placing her cup on the desk. "So, is there something else you wanted to talk to me about? I don't think you're here just to tell Aya-chan that Glenn was searching for her and accompany my lonely self for tea."

"You make it seem like I'm some kind of a villain now. You are right, though. I came hear bearing news. Exciting news," he said with an ambiguous grin, which caused her to quirk a thin eyebrow. "The Prince and Princess will be attending the grand opening of a casino-hotel resort in one of the neighbouring nations in two days."

"Outside of the Big Six?"

"Yes, and it is said to be one of the most luxurious casinos yet, opened by Satsuki Kitaoji, and you've heard about him before, right?" A nod of recognition. "It's his first casino outside of Oriens, too. Since, the Prince and Princess are attending, guess who's coming with them?"

"You?" she answered with singsong ring to it and Yu gave her a look for her to go on. "And I? Well, it does sound exciting, but my role is to ensure that the Princes' and Princess' medical needs are well taken care of."

"By name," he added.

"It doesn't mean I can slack off, though," she too, added. "You're performing your job when we go, so I'll perform mine just as well. However, working somewhere with fresh air such as a resort beats being cooped up in an office full of paperwork any day."

They shared a smile before Yu recalled something, "Oh, by the way, what was this album Aya was talking about?"

"Curious, are you?" she smirked, set down her cup once more, and grabbed a large album with flowery designs, the plastic coat over the cover was a bit wrinkly at some parts. "This album."

"Oh, that one," he stared in awe as he took hold of it. "Aya showed it to me a while back when she first re-discovered it from the abyss of her closet."

"She just brought it back from her house after her visit a few days ago to let me borrow since I told her misplaced mine a while ago when I moved," she then reached over to flip over the cover. "We went over a few pages until I went on a ramble that would rival one from a drunk person."

"I can somehow picture that and now I wonder what you would be like when drunk," he chuckled.

"That makes the two of us, then, since I've always stopped when I start feeling the slightest bit tipsy," she gave a laugh before her eyes fluttered to album. "These sure kick in the nostalgia. Look at that one of us eating watermelons at Aya-chan's house. Oh, and the one when we went to the summer festival."

"Also, this one when you first came over to play," he pointed at a shy child version of herself meekly staring at the camera when she sat at Aya's kitchen table. "I knew you'd agree to come play with us."

"Well, you both made a lasting impression on me at that time."

* * *

"_Hi there."_

_She swivelled her head back in an instant and jerked her head backwards as she was face to face with someone. The back of her head collided against the window frame and she ducked back into the car, gingerly touching the pain with one hand while hissing. It only lightly drummed against her head._

"_Are you alright!?"_

_The person poked their head closer and she inched back, shaking her head, "I'm alright. It is just a bump."_

"_Are you sure? You looked really hurt for a moment there. How about coming inside the shop instead so maybe a grown-up can have a look?"_

_She then finally looked up to see who the stranger was and met eyes with a boy around her age, with a bright smile stuck on his face. She blinked a few times at a thin shock of auburn shuffling behind him. Out peeked a pair of large honey coloured eyes for a split moment, who smiled shyly at her before scooting back behind the boy. The boy turned his head in the direction where the girl in the car was fixated._

"_Oh, how silly of me. I'm Yu, and this here is Aya," he stepped aside so the one behind him came into view. _

_The little girl smiled back shyly and fidgeted with the skirt of her daisy-patterned sundress, "N—nice to meet you."_

_The boy patted his friend's head encouragingly, again the shock of auburn hair, tied by a candy-shaped hair tie shuffled back and forth, before turning back at the window, "Then, what's your name?"_

"_I-" and out it slipped, "Nadeshiko..."_

_The boy tested the name out before something came out of the blue, "Nana-chan, you have pretty eyes."_

_She stared at him in disbelief with her mouth hung open, "Wha-? Nana-ch—pretty eyes?" _

_Realizing how wrong her actions were she clamped her jaws shut and turned to a proper sitting position, facing forward with her hands on her lap without making any sort of eye contact at the two intruders. It was getting stuffier in the car by the minute, even her cheeks were hot._

"_Why are you giving me nicknames out of nowhere, and why did you say something weird?"_

"_Why?I really think you have pretty eyes. Don't you think so, too, Aya? See? Aya nodded. My mom also tells me that when you think of something nice about someone, you should tell them. Also, we saw you poking your head out and wanted to ask if you could play."_

_She thought of her caretaker who was currently in the shop, the driver in the front seat of the limousine, and other people,and shook her head while making eye contact with the carpeted floor._

"_I don't think I have the permission to."_

"_Can you ask for permission to then?" he pressed. "We can play another day."_

_She frowned significantly and creased her brows, "I don't know... I'm only here because my caretaker is buying sweets from the shop."_

"_If you ask, you might be allowed to come back and play." Before she could reject, he boldly reached inside to hold her hand. Utterly stunned, she gaped and saw his determined eyes. The girl behind him too had the same face. "Please... think about it." _

_And he gave he a smile that was shining more than the sun itself while speaking,"Okay?"_

* * *

"Nana-chan?"

Her body stiffened and her mind was placed in reality once more. She looked around, oblivious to her current location for a few moments before Yu came into view.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment there."

"I figured. Back then even though you'd play with us often, there would be times where you would just lie on the grass or sit somewhere and let your mind launch into space," he mused.

"I guess that's one of the few things I took with me from my childhood days," she gave a little grin before her eyes landed on his watch, whose numbers partially stuck out from under his sleeve. "Oh my, tea time is almost over."

He flicked his wrist out and took a look at the numbers, "You're right. I need to take my leave soon, since I'll be needing to make arrangements before we take flight. I'll be sending you the rest of the details by dinner time, at the latest."

"Alright, I'll see you in two days, I guess? Oh, and there's no need to clean up. I'll take care of that."

* * *

She was about to bounce onto her bed until some quiet thumps were heard against the door and shuffled to greet her unexpected guest while forcing herself to be rid of her languid state.

"Wait right there!" a voice from the other side declared as soon as she just turned the knob halfway.

"A—Your Highness, is there something you require?" she asked with still holding firm onto the handle.

"Is it alright if I intrude?"

"Yes, it is perfectly alright. I will just-" she twisted the knob.

"Wait!" And untwisted the knob. "Could you sight by your bedside with your eyes closed while I come in by myself?"

"Alright?" And so she did.

She was suddenly aware of how empty the room felt with her eyes closed. Then there was sound. There was the knob turning, the clicking of the closed door, the eager footsteps against the carpet, and a weird rustling sound. The footsteps were no longer heard once they were somewhere in front of her.

"Okay," the melodic voice flowed out, "you can open your eyes now."

Nadshiko first saw Aya who made no attempt to contain her excitement in anticipating for Nadeshiko's reaction. Both of Aya's fingers were curled around the glossy metal hooks of the wooden coat hangers.

The left one held a sheath shaped little black dress. Under the wrapped sweetheart neckline was a gathered bodice and on the large banded waist a big cream coloured bow on the side.

The right one hung a strapless periwinkle frock with a white mesh overlay. The overlay was crocheted with floral accents and the waist was tied by a white silk ribbon.

Suddenly all that fatigue she felt minutes ago were sucked away.

"Are these... ?" her lips trembled.

"For you? Yes," she burst into a half giggle and half squeal. "They're belated welcoming presents! You should try them on!"

Everything happened so fast as the raven haired lady found herself pulled to her feet and gently pushed into the bathroom with the two dresses in her clutch.

"Wait—what—now?" she sputtered out as she was halfway into the bathroom, trying to resist.

"Of course "now"! I want to see if I should make any adjustments," Aya responded still bubbling with joy. "Though I've started to become super confident in my eyeballing skills."

She decided to just go with the direction the wave swept, slipped into the dresses one at a time, and twirled around for her childhood friend to observe.

"They look gorgeous on you!" she jumped on her spot on the bed and gave an applause after Nadeshiko emerged out back in sleepwear. Nadeshiko then placed herself sitting beside Aya and wrapped her into a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Aya-chan," she softly spoke while her eyes closed serenely. "I love them so much."

She knew that her childhood friend must have had to use a lot of what little spare time she had from royal duties to make them.

"You might love them now, but perhaps not when you hear the conditions they come with."

She pulled back crinkling her face, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Aya gave an impish grin, "I made the LBD a while ago for you to wear for the first party you'll attend while accompanying us overseas..."

"You mean the grand opening of the urban casino? I'm only there for work, you know. So, no parties for me."

"But that means you can't provide us immediate medical attention if something were to happen," the auburn lady retorted. "No one will say anything about you joining in on the party anyways. You deserve a break."

"What about His Highness?"

"He already gave an a-okay."

"Casinos aren't really my thing."

"There will be a wide variety of food."

She shrugged, "I could just get the same variety with room service if I wished."

"Geez, you're stubborn!" she pouted and crossed her arms in mild frustration. "Maybe I should get Yuyu to hold your hand and give you those pleading eyes."

"Wh—wha? I—I have no idea what you're talking about," she darted her eyes to the bed sheets as if they suddenly became the object of fascination.

"You're blushing, you know."

"Anyone would at such a claim!"

"Only if they had some sort of romantic feeling towards the person," she pointed out.

With her shoulders momentarily slumped in defeat, she protruded her bottom lip outwards, and replied, "Aya-chan, I didn't know you could be so evil. Where did the little girl who hid behind her brotherly-like childhood friend go?"

"She's only like that around people whom she first met, you know," the threw her head back and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, she wasn't this hyper and mischievous, despite being on the demanding side," she threw a wry grin and pinched Aya's cheek. "Payback for earlier. Okay, I admit defeat for this round, but this is a one time thing only."

Aya made a small victorious gesture.

"Oh, by the way, what about the other dress?"

Aya clapped her hands, "I'm glad you reminded me! That one, I want you to save for a really special occasion. To be more specific, when you go on a date in the future."

"You sound like you want to be my fairy godmother."

"Well, that's one way to put it," she winked.

* * *

He took hold of her wrist to put a stop to her current fidgeting and made direct eye contact.

"You're going to end up damaging the fabric if you play with it like that."

She was about to chew on her lip, but she recalled it was painted with a fresh coat of lip gloss.

"Sorry, Yu-chan, I'm just a tad bit anxious," she sighed. "It's been a while since I've been to one of these parties, but don't worry. I am extremely capable of proper social mannerisms, and I won't do anything to taint the Royal family name."

It was Yu's turn to sigh. "That's not what I'm worried about. I want you to relax and enjoy the party. As your old friend and as your partner."

The corners of her mouth threatened to twitch into a goofy grin, but she resisted without biting back. However, she turned her eyes away from his and inched back a little to regain calmness. Fortunately, no one could feel the drumming of her heartbeat except herself. She recalled this sudden revelation Aya had revealed to her earlier this morning and mentally thanked her once more.

"I'll do my best, Yu-chan," she pulled a smile, "I've got to make sure my partner enjoys the party, too."

He patted her head soothingly and she felt the tension that possessed her flow away. Suddenly, the intercom flashed, followed by the pilot's voice informing that they would be landing soon.

"We should be heading to the front where Glenn and Aya are then," he spoke as he stood up, offering her his hand.

Before they headed into the other room, he turned to her.

"You look stunning, by the way."

Managing a lame nod and a word of thanks, she once again, thanked Aya in the back of her head while also thinking about how she blessed she was to hear such words from him.

* * *

There were people at every nook and cranny of the hotel. Seemingly endless chatter would follow them everywhere they went along with other types of noises. The tune of the slots playing, rolling and spinning sounds from roulette, coins jingling, glasses clinking, and much, much, much more.

Normally, all of this would have made her feel stuffier than a lion in a circus cage, but this particular casino had a mystifying way of easing her senses. It took her a moment to consider it being the interior design. Unlike, the flashiness that often decorated casinos there was a perfect blend of warm and cool colours. Tonnes of chatter went on, but it was in a more subdued manner. Everyone seemed to be in their own element and wanted to engage with one another instead of merely making connections or saving face.

She stood near a pillar quietly when a tall figure made his way next to her.

"Thank you for waiting patiently. Here's your pina colada," the tall figure spoke, extending the cocktail glass toward her.

"Thanks, Yu-chan," she grinned and took the glass by the stem. She took in the flavour of the drink and felt the cool liquid flow down her throat and they started to wander around.

"There interior design of this place is amazing. It contrasts so differently from what I've seen in casinos, but it really draws you in somehow," she glanced above and around in pure awe.

"I found out that the Ichikawa Design Group was behind this. They're building an even bigger reputation than what they had before. From what I know, what makes them stand out so much is the amount of care they put into making the interiors close to the heart of their clients and others to love."

"They must really enjoy their job then," she spoke, her eyes shone pure admiration, which quickly faded away when she heard a piercing shriek. The two of them turned their heads to the direction, which turned out to be the slots area. There was an erupting cheer and applaud with voices hollering, "You got the jackpot!"

"Oh my, isn't that rare? I remember I got better chances with Black Jack than with those machines the few times I went."

Yu looked mildly surprised at the sudden information, "I'm guessing you've been to casinos in the past?"

She gave him a little sheepish grin, "Yeah, I have. The first time, my friends invited me because they were bored and curious. The other three times were for parties. One of them was a welcoming party for medical students, and things went haywire that day."

"Oh," he tilted his head, "how so?"

"Most of the students got heavily intoxicated," she had already began to shake her head and sigh."They started stealing liquor from the bar and running around screaming. A bunch of them packed themselves in the elevator and ended up surpassing the maximum capacity. So, the elevator stopped functioning midway and they were trapped. The fire department was then called to rescue them. The organizer, a fellow med student herself was in tears because of what happened and the bill that was sent after the incident."

"And these were medical students?" he gaped with wide eyes, but then changed his features to something more playful. "You weren't one of them were you?"

"Of course not," she puffed her cheeks. "I was at the outdoor lounge having some time with myself that time and was extremely confused when I saw the blaring lights from firetrucks and police cars."

"Haha, for a moment there I was beginning to wonder what I missed all these years at the thought of you having that kind of a wild side."

"If I ever do anything wild, it would be because I was dragged by my friends from Liberty. Thankfully, they may have a thirst for entertainment and adventure, but nothing that risky."

"I'd like to meet these friends of yours," he said and made a gesture for her to pass her empty glass over.

While he handed them to a nearby server who was collecting empty glasses, she glanced at her watched. Once he was within close proximity to her, she began to speak, "We should be heading to the ballroom. Aya-chan will soon be presenting her speech."

But, Aya was nowhere present in the said room. Just as they were about to search around, Yu caught a glimpse of her figure through the bay window. In her hand, was a sheet or two of paper. Her mouth opened and closed while her eyes moved along the contents.

He was filled with a warm surge of nostalgia as he was reminded of how she would practice for plays. There was an urge to run out to the gardens rushing inside of him, until it was deflated by a figure jogging towards the brunette. The two of them spoke happily and looked fondly at eachother before jogging back into the building.

He felt it was as if his heart was a thin plastic bag dumped with a block of lead, which only ended up with it being ripped, leaving a big hole as he witnessed the scene before him. Unconsciously, he whispered out, "Perhaps, there isn't even a place for me to be a brother for her anymore."

Still, he continued to stare beyond the glass and unbeknownst to him, Nadeshiko had heard his little monologue. There really was no need to ask him anymore, and she wasn't sure she could handle a direct answer right now.

She gave a shaky sigh before putting on the smile she was professionally known for and patted his shoulder, as if she never heard any of those words, as if he never witnessed that scene, as if they were perfectly okay.

"It looks like she'll make it on time. Let's go."

* * *

That night, after the party, practically all of of the guests had retired to their suites and probably drifted off into a deep slumber. She didn't belong in this particular group, however. Instead, she was at the outdoor lounge hugging her knees on one of the couches. She was in thin light blue pyjamas and her robe hung over the wooden arm of the couch as she discovered the air was a bit humid. On the coffee table was a tea set she had requested be prepared for her.

She poured the red-brown contents out and sipped. Her face scrunched up. Bitter. Too bitter.

With a sigh, she stared up at the sky. Since it was clouded, the moon was barely visible. She continued to stare above, not at anything specific, since her mind was elsewhere. They floated towards the events at the party.

"Nicky was right," she mutter wanting to laugh at her foolish self. "I really still love him."

* * *

"_Shouldn't you move on?" the ponytailed blonde spoke through bites of her pizza slice. "I mean, isn't it enough that you've liked him for almost twenty years?"_

"_Well, first love is hard to die," Becca spoke as she picked out the olives from hers. "But, I agree with Nicky, you should really move on. You're not trying to pursue him actively, heck, you're not even making any attempts to visit either of them after all these years."_

_Nadeshiko took her sweet time to chew her bites and swallow before saying anything._

"_First off, I'm not in love with him anymore." Their eyes rolled. "I mean, it was a childhood crush, that's all. Second, you know my circumstances before I was able to move out with you guys, and even after that, how do I know they even remember me let alone want to see me?"_

"_You're so silly!" Nicky shook her head and reached over for the bottle of soda. "Of course they remember you and of course they would want to see you! I mean, you may be too stuffy for your own good, but you're a great friend."_

"_Thanks, you're a great friend, too," she shot a glare her way, which the blonde shrugged off while chugging her cup._

"_Plus, judging by your descriptions, they don't seem like the type to be so cold," Becca wiped her hands with a napkin and made a gesture for Nicky to pass over the bottle._

"_Maybe you guys have a point, but Aya's a princess-to-be now. I can't just waltz into the palace claiming I know her. As for Yu, I tried to search for his number on the net." Nicky muttered something about internet these days making things too easily assessable. "It says his house now belongs to someone else."_

"_Okay, well, then maybe that's indication you should try to move on, and don't try to deny it again." the brunette gave a knowing look at her friend. "We've known you for all these years. You are able to act and function as if you're fine. However, there's this part of you where time has stopped, despite everything else of yours is moving forward. You either need to get that part moving forward or you will never be happy."_

"_I-"_

* * *

"Nana-chan?"

She found herself forced out of her flashback and turned to stare at him, looking like a doe caught in headlights. He too, stared at her with the same expression and then down to her teacup. Following his line of vision, she saw something going _plip-plip-plip_ down on the surface of the tea. Her mind and body remained numb for a second. Then, the cool moist sensation running down her cheeks was felt.

In a heartbeat, she placed the cup down, turned to the side and slipped a hand into her robe for the handy handkerchief to dab her eyes. She didn't dare look back, didn't dare say anything, and didn't dare move a muscle as soon as her face was dry.

His footsteps made rustling noises against the grass as he approached closer and closer, causing her to instinctively flinch. He spoke out, as if he was handling glassware, "Is it alright if I sit next to you?"

She slowly bobbed her head, with her curled ends bouncing along. They sat in silence for who knows how long, until he spoke out once more.

"What kind of tea are you having?"

It wasn't the exact question she'd thought he'd ask, but she gave him a proper answer, "Kuding tea: it's a type of herbal tea that has a lot of medicinal uses."

"May I have a sip?" She nodded, still not meeting eyes with him. "I'll call for someone to get you another cup."

"That's okay," he reached out for her cup. "I'll just have yours."

Immediately, she shot her hand out to block him, but she was too late. "You shouldn't! It's lukewarm now and it has my te—ahh..."

Her shoulders slumped as he was already gulping the contents. The cup was empty by the time he placed it on the saucer. Yu made an unpleasant face and spoke in an unusually hoarse voice.

"So bitter," but then he gasped, "Oh, but it has a sweet aftertaste. I could use some time to get use to this, though."

"Yeah," she gave him a little giggle as she saw his face from before, "I only drink it occasionally as a way to wake myself up when I'm depressed..."

Her voiced trailed off at the last word and she looked away once more. More silence, except for the insects chirps, and Yu spoke once more.

"Say, when you were talking about how the interior designers must enjoy their jobs, it got be wondering," he paused for a moment. "Why did you decide to work for us after residence out of all places?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and collected her thoughts for a moment before speaking, "Well, I did get offers over at Liberty and a few other nations, but the palace was the the only offer from Oriens. I wasn't sure if I wanted to accept the offer at first, but there was something inside of me that wanted to return to Oriens again. I wanted to see Aya-chan, and thought she might possibly know your whereabouts. However, another part of me had second thoughts, but with a lot of conversations with my friends, I managed to find the courage to accept."

Her amethyst eyes then rolled, "Looking back at it, I didn't think I had much of a choice to refuse an offer because it was from the palace. Plus, my job doesn't change anywhere I go. As for the private life, I barely had one anyways because of the career I wanted to pursue, so I really didn't mind."

"Do you like working here at the palace?"

"Yeah, I may not seem like it at times, but I love my job. It has its own challenges and I love dealing with patients, but I do have to be professional, of course."

"That's good to hear," he smiled at her, and hesitantly asked in a soft voice. "Now that you've shared something personal about you... you can ask something personal about me. You've been having this look like you want to know something for weeks."

"Oh... so, you knew... and..." Strangely, maybe it was the talk just before, but she no longer felt as troubled thinking about the subject.

"Umm, then," she tucked a loose strand back to her ear, "do you still—wait, no, that's obvious. I mean, umm..."

She took a deep breath.

"Does Aya-chan know of your feelings?"

"She does," he nodded, shocking her. "Actually, how about I tell you a story."

And a story he told.

"After you had left for Liberty, my mother's illness turned for the worse and she passed away. I then moved into a different neighbourhood with my dad, but he had passed away shortly after."

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents were wonderful people."

He shook his head, "There's no need to be sorry, but thank you for your thoughts. The queen then took me in, saying that she was close to my mother back when she use to work in the palace. Many years after, as you probably know from the media, Aya was hired to be the royal designer. Then, a few things happened. Lord Kaneda, do you remember him?"

She nodded.

"He revealed to me that I was actually... the child of my mother and the late king. Lord Kaneda didn't trust Glenn to handle the throne, and had a plan to have me take over instead. I know that look you're giving me, it's like a plot in a drama, but it's really true. Initially, I was against it, but then I thought that Glenn would prevent her from being a designer. So, if I took the title, I could let her keep her position and possibly make her choose me. Of course, I realized how selfish I was being. She only ever loved Glenn, and she would give up anything for him, unlike me..."

His voice grew shaky at the end and there was a wistful look in his eyes. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and he glanced at her with a tiny smile, before finding his voice again, "So, I gave Glenn my support and the council could say no further. The rest, I think you can figure."

"Yu-chan," her eyes began to well up and there was a burning sensation, threatening to spill out. She pursed her lips and hid her face behind her long hair. Tightly, she gripped her fabric of her pyjama pants and attempted pulled herself together. It wasn't the time for her feelings.

Seeing her turmoil, he patted her head, "It's alright, I've learnt to accept this reality. For me, Aya... she's like the sun, and I'm probably the earth. Her light brings me life. However, I can never reach her. All I can do it was her shine from the distance, and like I said, I'm okay, as long as she's happy. Thank you for worrying about me."

Still she showed no signs of a response, and he decided to throw in a teasing, "If you do want to comfort me, maybe you should let me hold your hand or lean my head against your shoulder for a few seconds."

It took him a moment to be aware that she had pulled him in an embrace. He could hear her voice behind him saying, "You need more than a hand or a shoulder to lean on right now. Also, feel free to let it all out. I'm not looking."

Perhaps it was just because he was swept along in the moment, but he returned the embrace and she could feel his warms tears soaking the back of her pyjamas and onto her skin.

"Sorry, you-"

"It's alright, you don't have to say anything."

Once again, her gaze drifted up to the moon, which was once again, clouded. A scene formed in her mind. There was a boy and a girl holding hands while they walked on the winding path of a park amidst the cherry petals showering about. There was also someone in the distance, someone watching this scene while they drove further and further away.

Nadeshiko closed her eyes and she soaked in the scene... the memory. She'd known, she always did.

She wasn't aware that she whispered this out, "If Aya-chan's the sun, and Yu-chan's the earth, then, I'd probably be the moon."


	4. Chapter 4

His fingers danced over the calculator and occasionally glanced at the numbers while he jotted down a bunch of things with his other hand as he went through the list from the desktop. Every ten minutes or so, he would quietly mutter something.

"Let's see... minus the federal tax, the medical insurance, the dental insurance, cough, cough!"

He halted his actions for a moment to grab a tissue when there was a sudden knock on the door.

"It's Shiraishi," the person of the other side of the door spoke stoically. He grinned to himself. Looks like work-mode Nana-chan is switched on. But, her presence was the last one he needed right now.

He gave a good clearing of his throat before he spoke out, "You may come in." Hopefully, he sounded convincing enough.

In she came with a small folder in her hand that she then placed on the table without taking a seat.

"I have come to deliver you this month's expenses for all the departments of the Medical Household."

He raised an eyebrow, "All of them?"

"Yes, all of them," she repeated, this time less impassive, but nevertheless, still professional, "I was making my way around some of the departments earlier this morning and they asked me to deliver them to Doctor Fujiwara, since I was on my way to his office anyways. He then asked me to deliver them to you, since he is about to leave for a conference in as we speak."

"I see," he replied and reached out for the file, but ended up making the desk calendar fall splat to the floor. Nadeshiko slowly bent down to pick it up. As she reached for the object she was able to catch a brief look of the circles and notes on the calendar without the butler taking any notice. She then placed it back to its original position without saying a word.

"Thanks," he smiled before he quickly, but meticulously, flipped through the contents of the folder until he saw something that made him wince inwardly, "Oh, looks like it's flu-shot season again."

"Indeed it is," she nodded, and he can clearly see that she was fighting back a smirk. "People have been calling me to schedule early appointments already."

"I suppose I might as well schedule mine while you're here then. I wouldn't want Doctor Shiraishi chasing after me later."

She didn't answer immediately and gave him a long, hard look before firmly replying, "That won't be necessary at the moment. You are clearly not in the condition to be accepting a shot."

His smile faintly lopsided, "What do you mean? If you're talking about my phobia-"

"You know very well what I mean, Master Yu," she spoke in a melodic tone, with emphasis on his name. There was a calm smile on her lips, but the silent anger in her eyes shone through. It was most definitely on purpose. He could feel a chill running down his spinal cord.

"I can assure you, Doctor Shiraishi, I am perfectly—" he then erupted into a violent fit of coughing. Nadeshiko rushed over to his side and placed one hand to rub his back while the other one wrapped in from of his waist.

"You were saying?" she asked, as she wore the triumphant grin on her face proudly.

He gave a childish little pout, "But, I still have work."

"If you want to get back to work quickly, I recommend that you let me prescribe you some medicine and then get some rest after, or else, you'll be bedridden for a longer period of time if you do not treat it right away. By "right away", I mean, now." she spoke the last word with an authoritative tone, but then changed it into something more desperate. "Please, Yu-chan."

He couldn't exactly pin it, but there was a sense of melancholy and fear deep within her eyes. Yu then realized how unreasonably stubborn he was being and spoke, "Alright, just let me save everything, clean up, and meet you there. It won't be long."

She pursed her lips, "Fifteen minutes, or else I will come back and drag you."

"I just can't win against you, can I?"

Fifteen minutes later and no less, he was propped up on the exam table with the diaphragm of a stethoscope pressed to chest. Nadeshiko didn't glance at him as she knitted her eyebrows and listened through the earpiece. As the seconds tick by, he could feel his body breaking out more and more in cold sweat, as his breathing became heavy.

She then moved the cold metal away from him and went behind him to place it on his back. As her fingers ran up his back, he could feel the pleasant coolness of it through his skin. Then, he felt the metal on his back.

"Okay, I want you to breath heavily now."

At this point he felt like he had fallen into a deep pit and could barely hear her voice from above the ground. He managed to suck in a deep breath, but after he let it go, everything faded into nothingness.

* * *

_He didn't know what he was staring at. He no longer cared, anyways. Every sound in the room just seemed so far away from where he stood. He just wanted to disappear. He wanted to go where they were, but he didn't know how. He just-_

"_You are Yu, aren't you?" _

_His senses awakened as soon as he heard the voice and he was face to face with an unfamiliar lady who crouched down to his level. She was dressed elegantly in mourning colour and her expression reminded him of a mother's, of his mother's._

_He did his best to search for his voice and forced out a polite smile, one he wore so well. Yet now, he wasn't even sure he was wearing it right. He hoped he did._

"_Please don't go, Yuyu," the girl desperately looked into his eyes on the verge of tears. She bit her lip in an attempt to hold them back._

"_I won't ask for anymore flower crowns, piggyback rides, or to take me to places, just please, don't leave me, Yuyu, hic."_

_The tears that once burned the corners of her eyes now spilled uncontrollably and she wiped them furiously as they continue to run down. _

"_Hic... with... Nana-chan... hic... we only... hic, hic... eachother, hic."_

_After everyone left, the two of the stood in front of her. The sky was the brightest of blue and not a cloud was in sight. The grass and trees were greener then he had ever seen it. It was as if life just went on without a care._

_The man next to him crouched down and embraced him. The man's voice cracked with every word he spoke, "Yu, your mother has went somewhere happier now. I know you are sad. I am, too. From now on, I will do my best to love and protect you twice as much-"_

_They acted as if he was the background as they whispered among themselves thinking he couldn't hear a word._

"_Poor child, losing his mother at such a young age."_

"_Well, she was always physically weak. It was only a matter of time."_

"_She shouldn't have gotten married then if she knew that she wouldn't live that long let alone have any children. I mean, think of the husband and the child."_

_He gripped the side of his trousers as he continued to hear the conversation, but he continued to encourage himself to remain smiling while praying for it to be over._

"_I'm moving to Liberty," the raven haired girl spoke with her gaze locking to the ground, he could tell she was suppressing her urge to break down and sob. "I don't know when I can come back. So, I—I—I don't think I can play with Yu-chan and Aya-chan anymore."_

"_Do you not like us anymore?" the younger girl spoke as she came closer to the raven hair girl to hold her hands. The raven haired girl could not reply for a moment. Only a choked hiccough came out as she vigorously shook her head._

"_It's not that... I—"_

"_Young mistress, it's time to go or we'll be late for the flight!"_

_The elegant lady smiled at him with a palm resting upon his shoulder. Her voice flowed with nobility and grace as she spoke, "No, I am not an acquaintance of your father, but I knew your mother when she use to work in the palace."_

_A look of surprise was cast on his features. He didn't even know he could naturally feel that way anymore._

"_Then, you're the Queen...?"_

_The smile never once faded away and she nodded, "Yes, I am. Yu, I understand that this is sudden, however, what do you say about coming to live and work in the palace?"_

_One by one, and sometimes two by two, they came up to him._

"_My deepest apologies for you and your loss. Let us know if you need anything."_

_Typical words at a funeral. They were thrown out so easily. Typical cheap words. He, too, knew these words and threw them right back._

"_Thank you very much for your kindness. I'll be sure to let you know if something happens."_

_He could hear their voices whispering once more._

"_First his mother, now the father, too!? The boy has the worse luck."_

"_Who's going to take him in then?"_

"_We sure can't, we just had a baby. Considering the two deaths, it would bring our house bad luck."_

"_We can't either, we're on a tight budget enough as it is."_

_He clung to the picture frame of his father. He no longer wanted to hear anything they had to say._

_Everything about the place was luxurious and fragile. It was almost as if they could break with even the faintest touch. But, this was "home" now._

_He ate what they offered, but he was free to explore that day. He tried at first. But the voices would follow him wherever he went. They reminded him of the voices at the funeral, except they spoke different things._

"_What's a child like that doing here?"_

"_He's not even of nobility status."_

"_He's probably being trained to be nothing more than a mere servant."_

_So, in his room he went, where everything stood still, and nothing spoke. On the chair he sat, curled into a ball._

_Aya-chan?_

_Nana-chan?_

_Mom?_

_Dad?_

_They were probably, like his dad said, in a happier place. A happier place than where he was. So happy that no matter how much he called for them inside, they would never come to see him._

* * *

"Yu-chan?! Yu-chan?! Can you hear me?"

He was greeted by the violent sensation of having his shoulders rocked back and forth as he heard the owner of the voice calling to him, pulling him out of his seemingly endless nightmare. A pair of amethyst eyes fixated on him, they mirrored the terror he was feeling.

"Nana-chan?" he croaked out as he continued to stare back at her. A relieved sigh escaped her as she removed herself away from sitting on top of his waist and knelt with both knees on the mattress.

He glanced around and realized that he was in his room and that it was now nighttime. Not to mention his nightwear was drenched in sweat. His heart was still pulsing rapidly and panting heavily. Yu then focused his attention towards the woman in front of him who tensely starred back at him. With his vision adjusting itself to the night view and the moonlight penetrating through the window, he was able to see nearly every detail of her features.

She crawled a little closer to him as she observed that he was gradually become calmer, or so she thought.

"Bad dr—huh!?"

Her body became rigid as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her into an embrace. It wasn't a casual embrace, neither was it loving-it was to confirm something. As a result, she felt fragile and fleeting all at once.

"You're here," he spoke out through broken sobs, though no tears spilled forward. "You're really here."

She relaxed and wrapped her arms around his back. Her embrace was that of something gentle, yet firm, a light squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm here, Yu-chan."

After a while, everything became calm and she immediately fell into a deep slumber in his arms. When he came to realize this, he carefully set her to lie next to him, but from a chaste enough distance as the bed size would allow.

He then headed towards the dresser to grab a spare pillow and blanket. Once she was well taken care of, he slipped back into his own covers and glanced at her for a few seconds before reaching out to pat her soft raven locks and whispered, "Thank you."

He still found himself to be wide awake since the nightmare gave adrenaline to his senses, but he was no longer haunted by it, not right now. His gaze drifted above-wards to the waxing crescent moon. Its shone clear in the dark and cloudless sky. Though, this wasn't something new, but he couldn't quite explain it as he felt it was as if he was looking at it for the first time.

* * *

Her concentration made the room tense, and slightly awkward, since all he could do was stare at her as she quietly examined him, occasionally giving him instructions do perform a certain action. He wasn't sure if his mind was playing games, but he felt squirmy inside from her serious stares and her careful touches. He reassured himself that it was merely a physician's job to do so. That they approach everyone with platonic thoughts.

Also, did they perhaps turn on the heat earlier than the years before? It still was early Autumn the last time he checked his calendar.

She finally finished the examination, took a few steps back and cracked a grin with her arms crossed.

"Well, looks like you've made a speedy recovery, Master Yu."

He smiled back out of sheer relief, "Well, it's all thanks to you, then, Doctor Shiraishi."

"Looks like we can start scheduling your flu-shot appointment, then." ...and his grin lopsided.

She didn't dismiss him right away when his doomsday appointment was cancelled, not like he would allow himself to be, though.

"Yu-chan/Nana-chan."

They both held back a laughter and Yu offered for her to go first. Not wanting it to become a game of hot potato, she began to speak, "Yu-chan, I just wanted to apologize to you. Even though our roles as physicians are to provide tertiary treatment, I still believe I should have paid attention earlier on. I even made you come to my office when I should have made you head straight to bed. I'm sorry."

"Nana-chan, you're so silly," he lectured, the displeased was evident on his face. "If anything, it was I who should have taken better care of myself. Plus, how could you have known? We barely get to see each other with all the work we have lately. There's no need for you to be sorry. If anything, I should be the one who is sorry for worrying you, but I won't because I know you won't accept it. Instead, I'll thank you for taking care of me."

"_In more ways than you can imagine,"_ he added the last line to himself.

She nodded after absorbing his response. "Alright, and you're welcome, though it really is no trouble."

"Also," he hesitantly started and paused for a very long time. "I think you deserve an explanation."

She leaned back on her leather office chair with crossed arms and and ankles. "Does this have something to do with this Saturday?"

He gaped at her. "H—how?"

"I caught a brief look when you dropped your calendar. You marked your days off with the blue circle with the words "Break", but one blue circle didn't have anything written in it."

"There really is no way of hiding anything from you," he shook his head in disbelief before giving another hesitant pause. "Actually... this Saturday is the half-day between the dates my parents passed away."

"I see."

She became more alert than before and wheeled her chair closer. "Does anyone know of this?"

"Besides the King and Queen, no. They learned that on their own, of course," he scratched the back of his head before continuing. "So, you're the first person I ever told."

"Is it alright if I visit them with you?"

"Oh, no!" he waved his hand in refusal. "I couldn't possibly ask you to do that."

"If you're worried about my work, I'll have you know that I get this Friday and Saturday off. Plus, I think your parents would be pleased to see a new face for a change," she reached out for his hand causing his heart to pick up a somewhat faster pace. "So, what do you say?"

"That I can never win against you."

* * *

The station was a little less crowded than usual that early morning Saturday. He was able to spot her in the front entrance since she was attracting attention. He could understand why she would, since she always had this unique prettiness, but she was attracting more attention than usual because of the trench coat she wore. It was stylish and elegant for one thing, with the embroidery and pleated lower half, but the colour was bright green. It contrasted with all the blacks, greys, navies, and browns of people's clothes. They would walk by, stare at her figure, but continued on with their busy lives.

As usual, she was staring off somewhere far away and he had to honk the horn to grab her attention.

"So this was what you mean when you said I'd be able to spot you right away?" he spoke as she fastened her seat belt.

"Yes," she answered after she heard it click into place and turned to look at him. "Not my colour?"

"It's not that," he spoke as he began to smoothly drive off. "I just rarely see you wearing anything of that colour."

"That's why my friends bought it for me. They said my wardrobe is filled with mature colours or pastels. Oddly enough, I came to like it and wear it every autumn," she then glanced around at the streets they past. "So, we'll be going there now?"

"Oh no," he shook his head, still fixated on the road. "We're going to stop by the florist first."

* * *

"Is there a particular arrangement you have in mind?" the florist asked as she stood behind the cash register.

He glanced at Nadeshiko. "What do you think?"

"I really am clueless when it comes to arranging flowers, neither do I know much about the language of flowers, so I don't think I'm the person to be asking," her eyes then wavered shyly to the florist.

"Really?" he quirked his head to the side. "But, you use to make bouquets for my mom, as well as Aya-chan and her mother."

"Those were origami bouquets, Yu-chan," she stared at the floor with flushed cheeks.

"But they still were very pretty. I think you arranged them well, too. I usually ask for an arrangement of some sort with red spider lilies, since my mother loved them and I'd get the same for my father, too. Since you're with me today, I thought I'd ask you," he leaned in a bit closer with one of his hands on her shoulder. "So, what do you say?"

She gave a quick nod before escaping from his close proximity and began to wander around for a while.

"She's cute, your girlfriend," the florist clasped a hand over her lips to hide her ufufu.

"Oh, she's not my girlfriend," he laughed it off lightly while adjusting the collar of his plaid dress shirt and his eyes followed her as she carefully, but efficiently observed the flowers. "But, she is cute."

The raven haired lady, who adored her long hair in a curly half ponytail, suddenly halted her steps and pointed at some flowers that looked like a mix of periwinkle and lavender in colour, but shaped like tiny daisies. Her curled ends bounced a little in the process as she did this.

"How about an arrangement of some kind with these?"

The florist along with Yu walked over.

"These are shions," the young lady spoke as she bent down to where the flowers were before focusing her attention to Yu. "What do you think?"

Ten minutes later, out they stepped from the shop, each of them held a bouquet of the similar arrangement. Nadeshiko held the bouquet upright and observed every flower in fascination, a times, she would turn it slightly to the right or to the left to get different angles. Yu chuckled inwardly at this sight, but then his line of vision wandered off somewhere else. She instantly became aware of this and stopped her tracks, making him follow suit.

"Such beautiful clocks..."

"Indeed," he said with gleaming eyes. "All of them are handcrafted, actually."

"I'm guessing you've visited that shop often?"

"Moderately," he grinned as he headed over to the window and took a look at the displays. "I happened to pass by this store when I bought flowers a few years back and developed a habit of visiting it whenever I could. I befriended the owner, too. He taught me how to fix clocks and watches."

"Oh, you must have travelled here more than just a few times per year, then?"

"Well, there was this one year where I visited him more frequently than the rest," he strayed his eyes away from the clocks to meet her eyes. "It was actually when I started to request for his assistance for fixing clocks and watches. You see, after a series of mishaps, Glenn's watch somehow ended up taking a journey through the process of... laundry cleaning."

His voice trailed off for a moment before continuing on.

"The crystal shattered, causing the inside to be damaged, too. The King and Queen insisted that they could just buy him a new one, which Glenn agreed to. However, I knew he was only saying so because he didn't want to make a big fuss over it, but it was given to him by them in celebration of his first speech."

"He really is quite mature," she gave a fond look at him, as if she herself was experiencing the memory.

"Indeed. He's a bit shy at times, but he means well," he too, caught himself smiling at the memory. "So, I secretly took it to the shop owner, which he agreed, but also offered a deal to teach me a few things. Under his guidance, managed to fix it myself. You should have seen how ecstatic Glenn was."

"Did it look something like this?" she shifted her expression to an embarrassed look. "It's not like I'm happy or anything."

Yu found himself laughing for the first time in a while before he spoke again.

"You should refrain from doing that in front of him," his eyes twinkled in good-humour, "because I can't guarantee your safety if you ever do."

"Thanks for the warning. I think I'd like to keep my job for as long as I can," she grinned. "If we still have time, could we possibly go in?"

He then tilted his head towards the door with a disappointed look. "Ah, looks like he's gone for family business today, though."

"That's a shame," she curved her lips downwards and then something sprung up. "Yu-chan, I don't remember seeing any in your room."

"Oh, that's..." he suddenly became a ripe tomato. "Well, I have thought about buying one of my own, but I could never pick which one that stands out to me, since I like them all. I then was afraid that if I did end up choosing one, it would be opening a pandora's box and my room would be filled with clocks."

She tried her best to bury any urge to burst into fits of giggles, but failed horribly.

"I figured you would laugh," he glanced down to the pavement.

"No. it's just, I never thought you'd be a clock hoarder."

He flushed an even deeper shade of red. "I already told you, I have never hoarded clocks."

"Ah, but you would," she said and then smiled sweetly. "And there's nothing wrong with that. I find it endearing, discovering this new side of yours."

He gave her an astonished look for a second, with the red still obvious on his cheeks before he coughed.

"A—anyways, we should get going now," he abruptly turned away and walked down the road with her giving a last little giggle before following him.


	5. Chapter 5

He could never get use to the red letters dyed upon the monuments of Oresian cemeteries. There were only a handful he could spot in the distance as they walked along the path between the blocks of stone, but he still couldn't quite brush off the feeling. Just then, something caught his eye on a gravestone behind the left row of graves they were walking past in the near distance. He squinted at the words, but before he could decipher anything, Nadeshiko had spoken.

"A bit creepy isn't it? Having your name carved on the stone before you're even dead."

He turned his head back and glanced at her profile as she followed him from behind due to the cramped pathway. Her lips were curved to an anxious smile when she met his eyes before focusing on a random pillar to her right.

"I understand it is less expensive to have your name and your spouse's name carved on it at the same time, but still..."*

"Well," he gave her a smile in hopes to calm her senses, "On the bright side, the practice is rare nowadays. Ah, this is it."

They stopped their tracks near one located in the centre of that particular row and placed the arrangements on each side of the flower holders. An awkward silence ensued for quite a while until Nadeshiko broke it.

"You know," she glanced up at the sky with a nostalgic look, "Earlier, I was recalling the time where I came over to your house and you weren't home yet. So, your mother gave me some cookies and turned on the television. Then, out of nowhere, she asked me to be there for you if anything were to happen. I understood that there was something behind those words, but I didn't know exactly what..."

She sucked in some air.

"Anyways, I promised her and I promised your father something similar as well. However, I never kept it and I began to wonder lately if I have a right to see them or be your friend, but..."

She turned her head slightly and looked at his eyes with a tiny smile.

"Knowing Yu-chan, you'd probably scold me for thinking such things, right?"

"Of course I would. It's not as if you had a choice back then and my parents understood that as well. All of us lost contact with each other," he gave her a frown—not of disappointment, but something else. She responded with a light laughter which reminded him of wind chimes on a day with gentle breezes.

"Thought so," she grinned and refocused her eyes to the puffy clouds, "I came to realize that the point is that even though it's been twenty years... Here I am, here you are, and we can always continue where we left off."

"Nana-chan..."

He then, also bent down and grasped her shoulder.

"Thank you," he softly murmured.

"You're welcome," she grinned, but it was quickly wiped away with a solemn look, "Yu-chan, also... your parents really do love you."

For a moment, his eyes flickered in astonishment before a smile grew upon his lips.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for worrying about me," he said as he patted her shoulder, "I don't blame them for anything. They're the only parents I've ever known and have. They're irreplaceable to me."

Though, he didn't add anything further, both of them knew what he meant.

"Anyways," he stood up and offered her a hand, "We should get going. You're taking the wheel now, right?"

"Why yes I am," she nodded and smoothed the lower half of her coat, "The destination will remain a secret until we get there."

"That sounds awfully suspicious," he pulled a thoughtful face as he stroked his chin. "Are you able to find your way there? There are a lot of things that changed after twenty years. You can use the GPS just in case, you know."

"And take away the element of surprise? There's no need to be concerned. I studied the maps already and take pride in my sense of navigation not to mention driving skills."

"That's a relief to hear," he chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be clinging onto my seat belt for the whole ride and scream for mercy."

They shared a few laughs and said their goodbyes to his parents before heading out. As they passed by the row of graves once more, something clicked in Yu's head. His eyes wandered to the gravestone from earlier and immediately, his heart began racing as he saw the two names carved upon it.

He second guessed himself at first, as he thought it was a mere coincidence or perhaps he had mistaken the two names. However, he knew he trained his memory to not make such slip ups, especially when he was doing background checks for future staff members. There was also a very low chance that those two names would pair up and not be related to her at all.

Frantically, he tore his gaze away in case if Nadeshiko picked up on what he just saw-

_But, wait? Didn't she know?_

He gaped at the back of her profile. She was well poised as usual and her shoulders were relaxed. Not once had she appeared to be aware of the gravestone's presence, nor did she seem to have been familiar with this place to any degree throughout the whole trip. At the same time, he found it hard to imagine how she did not know.

Something else didn't click. A prestigious family like hers that has been affiliated with the royal household for hundreds of years is bound to have their own plot of land reserved for their members' graves. So, why were they here?

*Japanese graveyards from what I know are often stone monuments with a compartment for ashes. There is an occasional practice of having both spouses' names carved on the monument at once because it is less costly, but it is no longer in frequent practice. If one spouse has not died yet, their names carved on the stone is still in red and gets craved out once they pass away.

* * *

"Yu-chan. Yu-chan?"

"..."

His left shoulder twitched as he felt something grab hold of it and gave a light shake. After blinking rapidly a few times, he removed his chin from where it rested against his knuckle to gaze in her amethyst eyes. There was a mix of perplexity and eagerness in its depths.

"Sorry, the ride was a bit long, so my mind eventually went up in the clouds," he spoke and fixed her a smile.

"Oh, no worries," she nodded. "I just want to tell you that we're here."

He knew right away where they were from the view he could see through the window behind her and a surge of nostalgia bubbled inside his chest. The trees were a lot bigger then how they use to be, yet at the same time, not so big. The structures in the large sand pit still appeared the same. There were more benches, a climbing net, and a kickball court now. Lastly, there was that long winding detour next to the river that he often took to get home.

"So, this is where we're having lunch," an eager grin spread across his face. "I can't wait."

"I'm hoping you're referring to my lunch as well," she giggled and stepped out of the car.

It was as if they travelled back in time somehow. The continuous humming from the cool river mixed with the chatter of children and their parents on a windless day. The scent of dry autumn leaves that carpeted the grassy and cemented grounds along with the fresh scent of moss, rocks and minerals the river carried. The only thing out of place now were their footsteps that clicked and clacked against the road instead of the scritch-scratch as she no longer wore those buckled fastening shoes and he no longer wore sneakers.

After finding a nice bench spot they opened the cover of their lunch box.

"It has been a while since I've prepared a Japanese meal, but I believe it turned out fine," she spoke with confidence.

"Were you already learning how to cook meals when before you moved away?" he stared at her in astonishment.

"Oh, no. Grandmother emphasized that most of the cooking was to be left to our workers. I was also under seven or eight, was it? It wasn't until I moved to Liberty did the thought of cooking for myself cross my mind," she gave him a meek little smile as she passed the pair of chopsticks over.

They dug into their meals a little and observed the ongoing excitement amongst the children who were playing tag. Suddenly, they caught sight of something peculiar making its way down the path.

"That is quite a large dog that man is walking," the raven haired lady commented with wide eyes. "I would say the dog resembles a Labrador Retriever, but the dog seems to be more like a black coloured Golden Retriever if that's even possible."

"I agree with you, but the dog still seem large for either breed. Then again, neither of us our dog experts."

"True. Ah!" she glanced at the blonde man as he merrily ran around with his dog. "Hehe, I can't tell who's more energetic now, the dog or the owner."

"Are guys like that your type?"

She gawked at him with a _"Where did that come from?" _face.

"_Trust me. I really want to know why that slipped out as well,"_ he thought to himself and tried to rack his mind for a solution to deflect the question away. However, all excuses ran down the drain as soon as he saw her shake her head. He felt as if his heart was soaring, for a reason unbeknownst to himself.

"But," she answered in a meek little voice as she darted her eyes around with a rosy hue blooming upon her cheeks.

His heart was now frozen in midair.

"There is someone I like."

"Congratulations, and who is this lucky person?" he smiled and hoped it looked convincing enough. There were times he'd slip up around Aya, though.

"You know him," she replied. "He's in the palace."

Exactly how many male staff were there in the palace that were not way beyond her age range that she could even catch a glimpse of? She barely interacted with anyone besides the medical staff and the kitchen staff. However, she never shown any hint of interest in terms of romance nor did she have the desire to even interact with them on anything besides work. In fact, she avoided any possible human contact unless it was Aya or hi-

Wait.

"What kind of person is he like?" he asked as he carefully chose his words. He could feel the blood rushing through his head and his mind going close to numb.

"He drives me crazy sometimes and also very mean to me," she said with a forlorn look.

He almost rose from his spot as his mind screamed, _"The Head of the Medical Household?!"_

"I try not to spend more than eleven hours with him, though," a smirk came on her lips.

His upper body slumped and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he heaved a huge sigh.

"Nana-chan, don't joke like that again, please."

"Ahaha... I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," she patted his shoulders to help relieve him somehow. "There was this rumour going around that I'm married to my work, though."

He lifted his eyes towards her while still remaining in the same position.

"Are you sure that's a rumour?" he questioned with a dark tone.

"Look who's talking," she pretended to roll her eyebrows and they both shared a laugh once more before continuing to enjoy their lunches.

"It's really delicious and you used all the flavours of autumn.*," he grinned before chewing on some chestnut rice which she only gave a brief nod in response as she was still busy with her own meal.

"Thank you for the meal, Nana-chan," he spoke after their lunch boxes were clean and they began to place the two boxes and chopsticks back in its carrier set. "I really wish I could have lend you a hand."

"And let us be caught by someone?" she arched an eyebrow at him with a wry grin. "Really, I wanted to make the meal today."

"Then you should allow me to return the favour next time we go out."

Yu noticed that she turned pink and bit her lip at his words before quietly muttering, "Deal."

The topic quickly moved on to something else as she grabbed the top tiered lunch box in the carrier that they had yet to open. Inside revealed a small assortment of green tea cookies, checker board cookies, and buckwheat cookies. Some were the usual square and circle shapes, others were simple flower, cat, and bunny shapes. The unique shapes were what caught his attention, not because of how well they were made, but because they triggered something.

* * *

_From upstairs he could hear his mother's voice chatting with someone outside the front door as he absentmindedly reached inside the tin feeling for another cookie. It was strange how the chalky they tasted since they were burnt to the core, but his heart swelled with sweetness. _

_Soon, someone was gently knocking against his bedroom door._

"_It's Nadeshiko. May I intrude?"_

_The tin of cookies was hidden in one of his drawers at the speed of light and he attempted to calmly answer her._

"_Sure. Come in."_

_The door clicked and in stepped his friend. After the door was closed she pulled an extra chair and sat next to him with this smile, this knowing little smile. _

"_Your mother told me about those cookies and," she point to the area close to the corner of the left side of her lip, "you have crumbs on your face."_

_In a state of panic he grabbed some tissues on his desk and furiously rubbed his mouth and the area around it. His shoulders slumped soon after. Out of all the times she outwitted him, this was one he really wished she didn't. _

"_Aya and I really wanted to make cookies together to surprise you and everyone."_

"_That is really sweet of you two. Thank you," she replied earnestly before leaning her head to one side. "But, really, eating all the burnt cookies?"_

"_They're not just burnt cookies to me," he frowned._

"_Really," she huffed a little sigh, "you're hopeless at times like this."_

_At the time, he did not pick-up on the melancholy in her eyes or her tone, nor did he completely comprehend the meaning behind her words._

_There was a moment of silence that passed between them before someone decided to speak up._

"_So," she glanced over both sides of her shoulders, "where are the cookies?"_

_He took them out of the drawer and removed the lid for her to see. He was sure she would giggle or tease him about it. _

"_Can I have a bite?" she asked in a perfectly normal manner. _

"_What? Are you serious!? These are..." he just shook his head multiple times without finishing the last word._

"_You see, I'm starving and wasn't it Yu-chan who told me that it is more fun to eat things together?" _

_He just stared at her, stunned._

"_What do you say?" she tilted her head to the side and smiled gently._

"_Alright, but don't push yourself, okay?" he nodded and moved the tin closer to her reach._

"_Not bad," she shrugged and took another bite. "Is this green tea flavour?"_

"_Yeah, you can tell?" _

"_Yeah, there's still some flavour to it, but you'll have to clue me in on what shape they suppose to be," she spoke as her gaze hovered over the tin._

"_The one you're holding is suppose to be a flower. That's a bunny and and those are cats," he replied and pointed to the indicated cookies before looking up into her eyes. "Thanks, Nana-chan."_

"_Mhmm, whatever for?" she grinned and feigned obliviousness._

* * *

Once again, Nadeshiko had to get him out of his daze.

"So, who was calling me a space cadet?" she laughed causing him to flush a little.

"I never said "space cadet". It's just these cookies... you still remember," he moved the green tea flavoured one close to his eyes and studied the flowery shape.

Now, it was her turn to flush.

"Oh, yeah. I didn't think you'd notice," she said and turned her gaze to the floor for a moment before springing up again. "But, I made some for Aya-chan and Alan, too! So, umm..."

Before she could finish the sentence, he had popped the cookie in his mouth, on purpose.

"It's really tasty. You should eat some, too."

"I'm the one who made them you know!"

They continued to chat a bit more while watching a group of children nearby stacking up leaves and jumping on the two large piles they made.

"I remember when we use to do that until your parents, Aya-chan's parents, and my guardian had to forcibly drag us away because we couldn't stop."

"It sure makes you miss the past. However, I doubt any of us have that kind of energy anymore," he grinned. "But, it's still fun to wa—oh, hello, is there something we can do to help you two?"

The little boy was the first to speak up, "Our parents are telling us to go home now, so you two can have the piles we made."

Nadeshiko and Yu looked at each other and blinked several times.

"Umm, that's awfully sweet of you two, but wouldn't you and your friends rather play with the piles for the last time?" she gave a polite smile and spoke softly.

"We played enough, and you two were looking at us like you wanted to play," the girl next to the boy said. "Lovey-dovey couples like to play around with each other sometimes right?"

"Uhh... I think you two are mistak-"

"Thank you very much, we'll make good use of those piles," Yu spoke with his usual kind manner and he gave Nadeshiko's should a light squeeze before looking at her in the eye. "Right, Nadeshiko?"

She crossed her arms at him with an unimpressed look as they now were standing in front of the two large mounds.

"Why did you agree to that?"

"It's not nice to refuse an offer from such nice children and it's fun to do these things once in a while when all we do is push ourselves with work nowadays."

He then saw the frown growing and added, "Even if we're not kids anymore."

"I really don't know about that..." she sighed.

"Why not? No one is around anymore and..." he swiftly lifted her up bridal style, "you should really relax more often, Nana-chan."

The suddenness caused her to squeal and flails her legs in middair.

"Y—Yu-chan, what—put me down—WHOA!"

In an instant, she plummeted into one of the large leaf stacks. Some of the leaves were blown away as a result, while most still remained in place. She didn't move for at least a minute as she was covered in red, yellow, orange, and brown.

"You're so mean, Yu-chan," were the words she first spoke and she tried to brace herself to get up, but wince and plopped back down. "Ouch..."

In a panic, he moved to the right side of the mound to face her and was about to bend down.

"Nana-chan are you al-"

He found his back lying against a bunch of soft, yet crunchy leaves as an array of colours soared upwards into the sky and then fell right back onto his face. Within a matter of seconds, they were brushed away from his face by a small hand. There stood Nadeshiko with a wide smile as she looked below at him. He could see the sun shining from above in the background; strange enough, he found her smile to be a lot brighter than it.

"Yeah, Yu-chan, I'm fine... now," she spoke and offered a hand out.

She had to emphasize on the last word, didn't she?

He accepted her hand and got up with a little sigh.

"Looks like you got me," he slumped his shoulders a little but then quickly reached out to grab a handful of leaves in the pile behind him and chucked it at her making her gasp.

"But, I'm not giving up without a fight."

She wasted no time to return the deed as he found his face assaulted by a bunch of leaves.

"Challenge accepted," she smirked.

She fell asleep within minutes as they started to drive home. He couldn't blame her.

When he reached his first red light the image of the carvings on that grave returned to his mind. He glanced over at her as a reaction. Then, a small piece of a leaf caught his eye and he reached out to remove it from entangling within her locks. The leaf's rough texture and warm contrasted with how silky and cool her hair felt.

She stirred a little and broke into a soft smile.

"Maybe some other time," he spoke aloud and found himself mirroring a smile like her own. He turned to see the red light switching to green and drove ahead.

* * *

Several days later, Nadeshiko was enjoying some breakfast in a staffroom and was thumbing through a newspaper until an apprentice butler approached her.

"Doctor Shiraishi, I have been looking for you. It's rare for you to be found in the staffroom."

"Good morning, Susumu-san. I just had the urge to come here for a change," she nodded in acknowledgement and caught glimpse of the package that was thin in width, but a third of her height in length. "Would that happen to be package for me?"

"Yes, it is," and he handed over to her with both hands. "I'll be taking my leave now. Have a nice day."

"Thank you, and I wish the same for you."

Her eyes fell down to where the address was written and she immediately felt her pulse quickening, but the rest of her body did quite the opposite as she froze in place. Out of instinct, she dashed out of the room, down the hall, and slammed the door of her room, forgetting about her newspaper and tea.

She fumbled the drawers for some scissors and removed the packaging to reveal a wooden box used for storing kimonos. Her hands started to shake as she lifted the lid. There was a kimono lying inside along with variety of precisely chosen accessories to compliment it. Sitting on top the kimono was a small note in the centre.

_Wear it for my birthday. A servant will be picking you up early that morning._

She felt her heart plummeting like a glass half full onto the kitchen floor and like a lost little girl, she was unable to pick up the pieces.


	6. Chapter 6

_Snip. Sniiip. Sniiip._

_Those were the only sounds that echoed throughout the room. They were precise and to the point._

_She still had her eyes glued on her knees and could see them trembling. She could feel her hands doing the same. Her chest—no her whole body seemed to be pulsing rapidly. Her mind screamed for her to suppress it like how she always did. However, she knew deep inside it was futile as she could never act properly in front of the lady sitting before her._

"_You already know why I summoned you here today," the voice from the other end of the room spoke out as they continued to snip away. There was an immediate flinch from her. Her voice was no where to be found; all she could managed was a feeble nod._

"_We made a promise. You can visit those two as long as you did not let it affect your studies and role as a member of the Shiraishi household. Yet, you came to the performance late and dripping in rain water. Not to mention you collapsed when the attendants were in the middle of changing and drying you up right after. I would ask your caretaker and driver, but I rather hear everything from your mouth. Now answer."_

_It was like her voice was yanked out of the dark depths it was hiding upon the elder lady's order._

"_O-on the way to the recital, I spotted my friend being caught in the rain and I decided to escort my friend home. I forgot to take an umbrella with me when I stepped out of the car to get my friend's attention."_

_She spoke slowly and cautiously. There was also fear lumped in her voice._

"_I am sorry," she pressed her head and her fingertips lightly against the floor. She was sure the elderly lady could clearly see how her hands shook, but she hoped somehow it was toned down to a minimum._

"_Your apology cannot undo what you have caused. I have already spoken to the organizers, and your teacher already."_

_Snip. Sniiip. Snip._

"_You are to no longer be continuing piano lessons and you are to be studying abroad in Liberty by the end of this month."_

_She shot her head up and raised her voice, "What—Why?"_

_The lady grimly turned her gaze away from the flowers to meet her gaze. Normally, she would have froze and scolded herself without question, but this wasn't the case this time around. She just stared back, bewildered, her violet eyes demanding for an answer._

"_You've gotten far too lax lately that even your aunts and uncles are making remarks to me. Studying abroad will give you some stable ground again," she started to arrange some of the flowers in place. "Think of it as punishment if you wish."_

_She could feel the blood rushing through her head and words she had piled up for so long begin to spill out uncontrollably._

"_That's not fair—how could you? I've done everything you could possibly wish for. I've always made sure to uphold our family name in school, at those parties you force me to go, in front of any guests or relative. Why, just over one thing you-"_

_Smack!_

_Next thing she knew, she was clutching the stinging pain on her cheek in sheer shock. Despite how strict her grandmother was, she had never hit anyone. Then again, such occurrences were rare within her household in general. She slumped down as reality weighed down upon her as she heard her grandmother's next words._

"_You will go to Liberty and my words are final," she emphasized every word and slid open the door. "You are also not to have any outside contact until you leave."_

_She remained there for a while and listened to her grandmother's footsteps head out of the room to flag over a maid._

"_Take care of what's left in the room for me. Throw the flowers away; they're ruined."_

* * *

Nadeshiko's eyes opened to see the bluish hues of her ceiling. The dimness of the autumn sunlight had entered through the curtains and into the room. She could even faintly hear the birds chirping outside. Then, the wet sensation streaming from her eyes and sticking onto her hair was felt. She blinked slowly a few times and remained still to squeeze the last tears and sense of profound melancholy that welled inside of her before getting up.

After pulling out a sheet of tissue from its box and dabbing her eyes, as well as hair, with it she stepped into the bathroom to get a better look at her state. Her hair was unusually knotty on the back—a product of letting her hair dry naturally. Her eyes were fine, so she probably wasn't crying for long. She leaked out a sigh.

_This was going to be a long day again._

Once she came out of the shower, she headed for the closet and coordinated her clothes without giving too much thought about it. Her eyes then landed on the box sitting inside and quickly forced herself to look somewhere else. When she finished slipping into her work clothes she scrolled through her daily planner inside her phone. The only thing that stuck out was tea time with Aya and Yu.

She initially refused with the "excuse" of having too much work, but Aya, being persuasive as always made her cave. For one thing, both her friends were finally having some free time again; for another thing, it was also a rare opportunity as a good chunk of people who are working in the palace were taking a day off.

However, she really wasn't up for it, but she promised.

* * *

"So, here's the list of drugs we carry here. This pile are the over-the-counters and this would be the prescribed," the male pharmacist grinned at her as he stacked the thick wads of paper on the cart. "Shiraishi?"

"Hmm?"

She blinked several times before she sprung up and headed over to where the man was standing.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," she said with an sheepish smile.

"No worries; we all have those moments. Though, judging from your rumoured work ethic this would be a rare occurrence." But he didn't press further.

"Thank you very much for the files," Nadeshiko said and skimmed through the first sheets on each lists. "Some of these aren't from the main supply company aren't they?"

"Nope, there are a few that are personally requested by the Sergeant Surgeon for... well, he's actually affiliated with the company that rivals your family's in Oriens. So, I think you can figure out from there."

Politics. That explained a lot. Her family's company may have rivalled Surgeon Matsuda's in Oriens, but there was a significant difference between the two. The Shiraishi Corporation had expanded internationally long ago. The rivalling company, was fairly new compared to the Shiraishi company, and had yet to succeed worldwide recognition.

But, politics. Just what she didn't need.

"I see," she nodded and deterred the topic, "By the way, judging from these records, your department must be storing digital copies of everything?"

"Yup. We're the only department doing that for now."

She began to wheel the cart towards the door with the pharmacist following along, "I think the other departments should follow your example. Paper records are necessary, but we need digital ones to back things up. Especially with the Apothecary holding surgeries everyday."

"Tell me about it. They like sticking to what's always been done before. It's not as if they wouldn't approve of change, but those thoughts just never exactly crossed their minds thoroughly enough to get anywhere," he shrugged before shooting a wink at her as they stopped in front of the door from a safe enough distance. "They just need someone to guide them down that road."

"And why was this not done before I came?" she raised an amused eyebrow.

"You think they'd bother to listen to us pharmacists? Heck, we provide them the meds, but our BAs are nothing compared to their MDs and PhDs," he spoke exasperatedly before leaning a little closer to her. "Say, would you care for coffee sometime?"

Nadeshiko knew the question was going to pop up sooner or later and after many years of receiving the same question, she learned that there was only way to go despite being in Oriens.* She crossed her arms and grinned at him. "I apologize, but I'm going to have to refuse that offer."

"Whoa, that's the first time I heard an outright rejection," he clutched his heart dramatically before speedily recovering and opening the door for her. "Well, it was worth a try. I'll see you whenever."

"Have a nice day," she gave a courteous nod and smile before exiting.

* Usually when someone is invited to go out somewhere in Japan; or in BMP's alternative case, Oriens; whether it is a date or just hanging out, most people refuse by saying, "Oh, that's a little..." instead of directly refusing.

* * *

She tried her best to keep up with the conversation with Aya and Yu, but they were too attentive to let things go by unnoticed.

"It's just work," she said. "I've been in the process of developing a proposal to reform a few things within our departments, so I've been pulling a few extra hours. I also have been trying to catch up on the latest journal articles and books, too."

It was an attempt not only to convince them, but herself as well.

Aya and Yu exchanged glances upon her claim for a moment.

"If you say so, Nana-chan," Aya started.

"But, just so you know, we're here if you want to talk about anything," Yu finished.

She returned them with a small nod and escorted them to the door, before starting to tidy up. There was some irritation that dug into her skin with them finishing each other's sentences, but she mentally chastised herself as soon as such thoughts floated about. A sigh involuntarily leaked out of her as she was placing the tea set on the cart. However, she wasn't looking at where she placed it. In fact, she miscalculated and lost her grip from the tray in midair. Since her office floor was tiled, it made remarkably loud noise as it shattered to pieces and scattered all over.

She instinctively flinched at the impact of the noise and bit her lip at the state of her only tea set, but she forced herself to stop lamenting too much. Just as she was carefully stepped across the room to fetch a broom and dustpan, there was a bunch of loud taps that could be heard against her door.

"Nana—I mean, Doctor Shiraishi, I just heard a loud crashing noise not too long ago. Is everything alright?" The muffled voice initially was full of panic, but managed to suppress most of it soon after.

"I just accidentally dropped my tea set and I'm currently sweeping up the pieces, that's all. Thank you for worrying, Master Yu, but I'm fine," she call out loud enough for him to hear on the other side.

There was a pause before he answered.

"... Are you really sure about that?"

"O—of course, I'm fine."

"Just remember that it isn't good to hold things in all the time. A certain someone made me realize that not too long ago. I'll send for someone to dispose of the pieces soon."

And those were his final words before he left her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

The final ornament was secured into her updo and she double-checked everything was perfect from head to toe with help from the large mirror in her room. Well, perfectly in place at least. Her eyes bored into the mirror's reflection of herself.

"It doesn't suit me..."

The vibrating sounds from her phone averted her attention and she snatched it from where it sat on the bed.

"Hello? Yes, I will be at the front gates in 10 minutes then."

* * *

"Prince Alan, what are you doing?"

Yu peered behind the oak tree trunk where the young boy was crouching. There was an enormous box of crayons nestling against the grass, a sketchbook resting upon his knees, and a bright orange crayon in his grip. Yu was able to get a better look of the contents he was drawing as he tilted his head upwards.

"Oh, Yu!" the young prince beamed and stood up to face him thrusting the drawing proudly towards the butler. "Look, I've been drawing something for Doctor Shiraishi as a thank you present for the cookies!"

Yu studied the drawing for a moment. There certainly was a lot of things going on in it. Roses, a book, something that looked like a necklace, a stuffed toy, plus a few other things were there. He can also see that Alan and Nadeshiko were in the centre of it all.

"The Glenn and the princes told me these are the things girls like," Alan continued on happily. "I also made sure to include what she likes like they said... origami!"

He pointed at a blue paper crane.

"...I see," he nodded slowly as his smile twitched a little. The thought of the Princes giving Alan advice was quite amusing. It also explained Glenn's sigh lately and the strange things he said about Alan as well as children growing up so fast. Yu made a mental note to clear up the misunderstanding later when he had the chance.

"It's a very lovely and thoughtful drawing, Prince Alan. I'm sure she'll be pleased."

"Thanks!" Just then the boy's face became horror struck and frantically flipped the sketchbook to a close. "Oh no! She's coming!"

Yu turned his neck around slightly and sure enough, she just descended a few steps from the stairs. He couldn't help but eye her appearance today as she was dressed in a white and peach kimono splashed with autumn motifs—with perfectly matching accessories to boot. The only thing that was missing, and was the crucial part, was a smile—a genuine smile. Alan, probably caught up with her special appearance and the fact he was hiding a "secret", didn't happen to notice.

"Good morning, Prince Alan, Master Yu," she nodded the moment she was close to where they were.

"You look beautiful today, Doctor Shiraishi!" Alan spoke with a big smile as he hid the surprise behind his back.

"Prince Alan's right, you do look lovely," Yu nodded and gave her an encouraging smile, hoping she'd give a nice one in return. However, she only gave him a vague one and there was a tint of sadness within her eyes.

"...Is that so? Thank you."

"Where are you going today?" he asked hurried afterwards to avoid an awkward atmosphere.

"I received an invitation for my grandmother's birthday party."

That explained a lot. Nadeshiko wasn't one to mention her personal affairs very often, even when they were kids, but because of that, he knew that she wasn't so fond of her extended family. There was also a strong likelihood that her extended family had similar sentiments. She didn't even bother to visit them even though she had came back after all these years. Come to think of it, why did they bother with her now?

Then, it slipped.

"You don't have to go, you know," and he clammed up as soon as her eyes began to widen. "I apologize, that was out of line of me."

"No, it's fine," she shook her head before continuing. "You're right, I don't have to, but there's something I need to do today. I hope you two have a nice day."

Before she could make an exit, he reached out for her wrist by instinct creating yet another surprise.

"Take care of yourself, alright?" he peered into her eyes sternly. She bit her lip and managed to nod before he let her go.

"Yu, is something wrong?" Alan tugged the sleeve of his shirt with glassy eyes as Nadeshiko was walking away.

Yu pulled a gentle smile as he answered, "Doctor Shiraishi is probably just a little tired from working. I'm sure your present will cheer her up later, though."

"Got it," the young prince spoke with resolve in his tone. "You were looking for me because it's almost time for my piano lesson, right? Let's go then, so I can finish this after."

Yu was astonished at this abrupt display of maturity. Then again, it was only a matter of time before it happened. The young prince had even grown a few centimetres lately. He was tempted to reward him with a pat, but instead bent to a professional bow.

"Then, this way, my Prince."

"Why are you acting so formal all of a sudden when it's just us two," Alan gave him an odd look.

Yu laughed. Not everything was changing so soon then.

"As you wish."

The choppy melody of Schubert's piano sonata No. 16 echoed throughout the music room as Alan and his instructor took their time to go through the piece for the first time. Yu sat from a safe distance from them as he observed. It had been long since he had heard this particular piece, yet he could recall it as if it was only yesterday when that certain someone played the same piece.

* * *

"_You're getting a lot better, Nana-chan," a young girl, whose auburn locks were tied in a high ponytail by a emerald green ribbon clapped. Her eyes shimmered in pure awe and admiration as she rose up from her seat. Yu, who also stood up from his seat beside the girl's nodded in agreement._

"_Well done, Nana-chan."_

_The girl in spotlight shifted her gaze to the many keys on the baby grand piano in an attempt to conceal her blush._

"_T—thank you. It's all thanks to your parents allowing me to practice on this piano, Yu-chan, and both of you for being my audience," she spoke softly before she faced them. Her lips curved into a meek smile with the pink still eminent on her cheeks._

"_Speaking of practice... don't you practice at home?" the younger girl tilted her head to one side and her expression shifted to one of curiousity. Before Yu could scold her for asking personal questions, Nadeshiko reached out to pat his hand and shook her head._

"_It's okay, Yu-chan," and she turned to her girl. "It's not that I don't practice at home, I just don't feel as comfortable about it."_

"_Because it's a big house with a lot of people or something?"_

"_Something like that."_

"_Are you ready for your concert then?" Yu asked to divert the topic._

"_Yeah, I am ready," she nodded and stared into both of her friends' eyes with confidence._

* * *

As the memory faded away, his thoughts floated towards his exchange with Nadeshiko earlier. Something was clearly wrong and it will definitely continue to be if he let it be. Before he could complete his thoughts, he heard Alan's music instructor speak up.

"Okay, I think that's good enough for today," the instructor nodded before she began to pack her things. "You did very well, Prince Alan. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you! See you later!" he smiled as he followed Yu to escort her out.

"Then, until next time," she bowed before she began to walk out the room and down the hallway. Yu and Alan headed in the opposite direction. It was not too long until they crossed paths with a certain someone.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Lord Kaneda," Yu spoke yet his face marked no traces of what he said. Lord Kaneda on the other hand, smiled in return, but his eyes weren't.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Yu," he nodded and turned to greet Alan before focusing his attention towards Yu once more. "Is the meeting room open yet?"

"No, it isn't since it's still a bit early. I can call for a maid to do so if you wish."

"Please do so then. By the way, you will be present during the meeting, right?"

"Yes," he replied carefully, "I'll be there to along with an apprentice butler to record the discussion."

"Well, see you there then," but he soon halted and turned around. "I heard you recently became under the weather. You should take care of yourself, we wouldn't want to lose a capable servant like you around."

"...Thank you for your concern, Lord Kaneda," Yu found himself forcing out a smile.

"Oh, you should be thanking me. You should be thanking that doctor friend of yours. I overheard that she actually took over your work when you were off. She even worked with the others to organize a schedule and divide their tasks to lighten up your work while you were bed ridden."

Yu didn't know how to respond to that. He should've have known. He should've have questioned why the butlers suddenly created such a comprehensive and precise plan. It had Nadeshiko written all over it.

"You never notice her do you?" he sneered before walking away leaving Yu clouded with unpleasant thoughts until the child beside him, who witnessed the exchanged spoke up.

"Geez, everyone seems to be weird today," Alan pouted as soon as his uncle was far away from earshot. "Being an adult sure sounds tough. You have to speak in codes all the time. Don't worry about what he said, Yu. You're great and also friends help each other out all the time, right?"

Yu finally let out a soft chuckle and this sudden reverse.

"Thanks, Prince Alan."

* * *

She once again was aware of how miniscule her existence was as she stared at the grand Oriesian styled house before her. Peculiarly enough, the palace was a lot more vast and yet she never have felt that way or so isolated.

Her five sense became sharper than usual as she was lead to the garden in the back were the party was making her aware of the slightest changes. It was as if she was a thrust into a place completely out of her element that she never even knew of. But no, she knew this place well and considering how it barely changed after all these years; she could easily find her way around even without her ex-guardian's help. There wasn't a sense of nostalgia in her. In fact, she was struggling so hard to reject her memories of this place. However, there was something she needed to do.

She could feel her breath come to a hitch and her heart thudded violently inside her as she started to make an entrance into the garden. It all quickly dissipated as soon as she became aware that the leading lady was nowhere in sight once she opened the door and glanced around.

There were however the grim faces of her relatives as they either were seated or standing around. Her youngest uncle who immediately caught glimpse of her hurried over to greet her with a big grin which she gave a polite in return. He then started to ask about her whereabouts.

"I am currently employed by the Oriens Royal Family as a physician."

"Oh, that's great, but it means you're a servant, right?"

Was it mentioned that his big grin was also cocky?

The corners of her lips stiffened a bit as she attempted to keep her smile in place. She rarely ran into trouble when it came to masking her emotions when it came to others—aside from her friends, of course. Her extended family however simply had a knack for getting under her skin. But before she could get out a reply, he quickly changed the topic.

"By the way, that's my girl over there. It's been a while since you two met, huh? You remembered that she plays the piano and violin don't you? She just came back from a concert in Altaria."

She glanced over to where he was motioning and saw a young woman not too far off from her age sitting quietly at large dining table who's face looked sour as a basket of green apples. Boy, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but this place, which Nadeshiko couldn't blame her at all.

"Yes, I remember," she nodded. "I've seen her often in various media sources when I was in Liberty as well. She's often complimented for how she plays music with her heart and soul over there."

"She was raised properly so it's only natural. No offence to you, but the old lady isn't the best mentor around."

She really didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, he once again, diverted the topic by saying he was off to fetch a few drinks.

"Always likes to hear himself talk and boast." A voice from behind her spoke. And just when she was celebrating her freedom, too. Nadeshiko turned around to see her three aunts sitting at a table and she greeted them accordingly.

"The more I look at you the more I see your father. Especially your eyes. Except he was a fool while you look like you actually know your place."

"Can you stop bringing him up? He's dead. Let him rest in peace," her youngest aunt glared at her elder sister with extreme contempt. "Why the heck does that woman always have to force us to come anyways?"

"You're acting like you have such better things to do when you married a guy like that," the third one rolled her eyes as she glanced over at her youngest sister's husband not too far in the distance getting himself drunk with her youngest brother. "And I thought you had enough of men after your last marriage."

Her youngest aunt appeared livid at that comment and slammed her palms against the table with a BANG. Not only did it cause the utensils and tableware to rattle, but it caught everyone's attention.

"I've had enough of this family," and proceeded to storm out. She slid open the door with full force, but froze right after as she saw what she revealed. There was the lady who was the reason they were all gathered here today.

The elderly lady gave a stoic stare back at her daughter who stood in front of her. There was much more to the gaze however. It was a commanding one that they all knew so well. Her youngest aunt clicked her tongue and stomped back to where she was previously seated without uttering another word. Her mother's eyes followed her as until she finally sat down and slowly turned to face everyone in the garden.

"Shall all be seated then?"

Whoever was not yet seated silently made their way to the long table and knelt down onto their designated seat-Nadeshiko being one of them. There wasn't exactly any labels for where they were suppose to sit, but everyone knew where they were suppose to be.

Since she was one of the older grandchildren, she happened to belong right next to her younger uncle's daughter who became even more upset for some reason. She soon knew why, and it wasn't because of her presence, but what her cousin's father was doing. While everyone was waiting for her grandmother to queue the start of the meal, he was still intoxicating himself away. He didn't bother to stop when her grandmother called his name.

It wasn't like it was something that changed. Her uncle had been an alcoholic back when she was a child, too. It was a wonder why his liver didn't gave out on him. Then again, maybe it did because she had no idea.

"Geeeez, wurr not kids anymore. You're always hovering over all our activities. Heck, you even know that thisss gurl over here showed her face again in Oriens. Thasss why our father and her father died early."

"Oh for the love of—can we for once stop bringing up the dead?" her youngest aunt stood up and marched over to where he brother was seating. She called over for a maid to help her escort him somewhere else to sober up. They then began to say the usual phrase soon after to commence the meal.

They had barely made a dent in their meals before something else came up. Nadeshiko glanced up at the table bewildered to why everyone was so still, but all eyes were fixed on her—to be more exact at what she was holding. She could feel her body begin to sweat, yet at the same time all the blood drained from her face, as she looked down to see her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she was holding a bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Her reaction was to placed everything down and she clasped one hand over the other in an attempt to stop it, but no avail. In fact, they trembled even more since she could still feel all eyes on her. There was suddenly a shuffling sound and everyone's attention, including Nadeshiko's, followed to where it came from.

Her grandmother stood up and looked down upon her apathetically as she mouthed the words, "It seems that I have been mistaken; Liberty did not adjust you for the better as you're still far too lax."

She turned her back towards the dinner table before making an exit.

"If any of you wish to remain here, do so. As for me, I see no reason to be here any longer."

"Wow, that's new. She's never left the table until the party's over no matter what happens. You must have a knack for getting under her skin," one of the aunt's who spoke to her before commented. "Ah, but it's thanks to you now we can enjoy the party without that stuffy atmosphere."

Something inside of her snapped as for the first time ever she starred right into the depths of the woman's eyes and gave her a glare filled with disgust and hatred before scooting out of her seat.

"Excuse me."

Was the only thing she said before she too made an exit. She could hear some kind of insult being thrown at her but chose to dismiss it.

Nadeshiko chased after the elder lady as fast as her legs could carry her in the kimono she was in which appeared to be more of a speed walk than running. It didn't take too long for her to catch up as her grandmother's room was not too far from the garden. The elderly frequently spent her time there in the past. In fact, she rarely exited the perimeter of that room whenever she was at home.

She drew a deep breath and forced herself to focus. She came today for a purpose and if she didn't say it now then her visit would have been a waste of time. Once her hands finally stopped trembling she gave a few light taps with her knuckles against the sliding door.

"It's Nadeshiko," she spoke loud and clear. "May I have a word with you?"

"...You may say whatever you want without entering then."

"I..." her eyes darted back and forth as they gazed down at the wooden floor. "I believe I never made it clear to you when I moved out of the house you prepared for me in Liberty. So, I will say it to you now directly: I do not plan to ever set foot here again or see anyone in this family anymore. When I left that place, I planned to never look back. So, please... please..."

"Is that all you have to say? If so, then you may be leave now because I'm going to rest and I do not want to be disturbed any further than this. Goodbye."

"...Goodbye."

She was barely ten steps away from the room before she spotted her youngest aunt loitering in the corner who appeared to have been waiting for her to come around.

"So you're leaving for good?"

All she could manage was a nod.

"...Don't become like him," was her reply. Her expression unreadable.

Nadeshiko knitted her eyebrows at the statement. If it weren't for the neutral tone her aunt took, it would've sounded like a plea. She understood very well it was a reference to her father and his leave, but there was an underlying message that she failed to pick up.

Seeing her confusion her aunt let out a sigh, "Fine, do whatever you want. This family was hopeless to begin with."

* * *

It took her a while to notice the time change. The view she caught through the window of where she sat on the bed was now dark. Her eyes then fixed at the closet where the kimono and everything that went with it was shoved back inside.

Just then, she heard a knock yet she made did not budge and inch. The knocking continued twice more before a voice on the other end called out.

"It's Yu. I know you're still awake. Please, open the door."

With much reluctance, she complied and stuck her head out.

"We need to talk," he spoke in a tone that left no room for objection and then pushed a cart into view, "But first, you need to eat. I noticed that you didn't show up for dinner anywhere."

"Yu-chan... but what if someone-"

"If you haven't already noticed, it's past curfew time so most people have retired to their rooms. So, unless someone has night duty or was getting water they wouldn't catch us. I won't leave until you let me in and the longer I loiter out here, there are higher risks of getting caught."

Her mouth formed a thin line as she contemplated for a few seconds before stepping aside to give him and the cart an entrance.


	7. Chapter 7

She sat on the bed on pins and needles as she carefully observed him serving her tea and gave her a selection of fresh fruits. His eyebrows were furrowed, not to mention he was frowning causing her to barely waft in the aroma. It wasn't until she sipped the contents of the cup did she feel the tension in her muscles loosen, followed by the realization that she actually didn't eat anything that day. She popped some berries into her mouth, but tried her best to not make it appear like she was wolfing down the food.

As she was savouring the sweetness of the fruits with every bite her eyes followed Yu's as he was studying her room. The was a fleeting moment of panic as she wondered if it was messy or something was out of place and she darted her eyes around the room quickly. Her bed had been barely touched since she only sat on the mattress after she came back. Her books and notes were stacked properly on her work desk and shelf. All her fresh laundry was back in the closet so none of her... unmentionables was seen.

She was about to continue reaching out for more berries, but the only thing she felt was the coolness of the china plate. Her cup was also clean, too. Come to think of it, the tea flavour was foreign to her... she tasted some rose... maybe lavender, and definitely chamomile, with some other stuff.

"Umm," she peered up at the raven haired man sitting on the chair near her dresser, "What brew of tea is this?"

"Secret Garden. It is a mix of rose, lavender, chamomile, and rooibos. I happened to stumble upon it when I was having some free time in another country for a business trip with Glenn. I've been ordering from them ever since," Yu replied with a faint smile as he recalled the memory, "I have another blend from them, but it's only for insomnia purposes."

He then gave her his usual kind smile, "But, I just want you to relax for now, not sleep."

"You know someone could mistake that smile and those lines for something you would say before you finish them off," she raised an eyebrow at him.

He gave a soft chuckle that flowed into her ears like a harmonious tune, "Are you this someone then?"

"If I were, I wouldn't still be sitting here like this," she laughed, which was a strange sensation as she felt like her smile was taken away for good after today. They stared at each other smiling for a few moments before she realized something and bolted up.

"I gotta wash my hands," she wiggled her fingers dyed berry red and gave him a wistful smile. "I won't run away, promise."

"This is your room you know," he called out to her as she strolled into the bathroom.

"Touche!" she called back. She washed her hands carefully while singing the Happy Birthday song twice in her head. Becca often sang it aloud when she washed her hands to make sure they were thoroughly washed and it became contagious ever since. It was also comforting at a time like this as she began to make use of the limited time she had to think about how she should explain everything.

To refresh her senses, she splashed a bit of cool water on her face. After dabbing herself with a towel, she took a deep breath, followed by some pep talk and emerged out of the bathroom.

"So... I'm guessing you're wondering why I've been out of sorts lately?" she spoke out from where she sat upon the mattress. He nodded in reply and she gave a shaky sigh as she draped a blanket around her shoulders while pulling her knees close to her chest.

"First off, I apologize for worrying you and Aya-chan. I thought that if I could convince myself long enough, I would be okay... but I was being silly."

She locked eyes with him a gave a weak smile.

"How about I tell you a story?" and he nodded quietly, no wanting to disrupt the pacing.

She started to fill me in with the parts I never knew. How her father left his family by free will because he hated the way conservative thinking and the frequent feuds causing her grandmother to disinherit him afterwards. Not too long after that, he met her mother and they wedded a few years later. A year and a half after the wedding, they were planning on opening an architectural company and recently bought a house since they wanted a house big enough for them and Nadeshiko, who was a new addition to the family

Unfortunately, their friend who was helping them start the company as well as investments took off with a good chunk of the money. Leaving them with debt and a mortgage to pay. Nadeshiko was barely ten months old when her father passed away on a business trip due to a cold he nursed to the point where it became pneumonia since he refused to get himself checked-up or take any medication.

Her mother became depressed after that. It also didn't help that she was diagnosed with leukaemia shortly after she given birth, but hid it from her husband. Since she didn't have any family or relatives, she was trying to find a match. Luckily, she did, but unluckily, she passed away before she could start the treatment.

"So, that's how you ended up with your grandmother?"

She bobbed her head. Then , she pulled the blanket so it would cover her forehead and wrapped it around herself even tighter. From the blanket, a shadow was cast upon her eyes so he could barely read her expression.

"Is it weird that I'm upset even though I never knew them?"

He shook his head as if she could see it. "No, it isn't."

"Then is it strange that there where times I blamed them? I don't know why but my grandmother never liked me, nor did my relatives. It could be that they were still bitter about my dad leaving or that he got scammed and died in a way that was so preventable... either way they always called my dad a fool and my mom weak. My grandmother never said such things, but she not once had showed any kindness towards me despite how hard I tried to live up to her expectations..."

The corners of her lips twitched into a bitter smile.

"But in the end, I got sent away because I..."

Her voice trailed off. She wrapped the blanket around tighter and he could feel his heart clenching as he witnessed this. He had never seen her look so small before. He was about to get up to close their gap, but perhaps she heard the sound of the chair and scooted away.

"I tried my best to not make the same mistakes they did. I developed a good eye for reading into people, especially their lies. At first, it was because I didn't want my parents to be branded that way... somehow it became to be that I didn't want to be stuck in the shadow they created for me. I thought I could finally move on after the day I graduated from high school and moved out."

She yanked the blanket down so it concealed her expression even further and he could see her form trembling a bit.

"I guess that invitation served as a reminder I could never escape from my past or my parent's past among other things... and I was consumed with dread, fear and self-hate. I hated living such a life where I was terrified everyday and lived to please others... I hated having such horrible thoughts about others, especially my parents because it was never their fault such misfortunes happened... How can I even perform my job when such a dark si-"

"Thank you for telling me, but you don't need to say anything anymore about the issue," was the first thing he said after pulling her in an embrace with her face buried into his chest.

She didn't protest, instead he could feel her shoulders trembling and warm tears were soaking into his robe.

"I was trying so hard not to cry... and if I did, I wanted to hide them from you."

He gently let go of her and cupped her face, tilting it upwards so their eyes could meet.

"Nana-chan, I want to be here for you. Not just because you've been there for me, but because I genuinely want you to be happy," he wiped the tears streaming from the corner of her eyes and smiled. "Please, don't feel like you have to hold everything in and depend on me more."

She sniffled a little bit, but nodded.

* * *

He pulled the covers over her body once he confirmed that she was fast asleep and pulled a chair close to the window as he stared out at the clouded moon.

"_But in the end, I got sent away because I..."_

Because she what? Come to think of it... what did happen before she leave?

The answer dawned to him in an instant.

* * *

_The sound of heavy rain cascading down onto the ground was the only thing he heard from where he sat on the swings. He prayed that it would last longer and caused him to be ill as it continued to shower on him. He hoped that his illness would bring so much pain that it would erase the other type of pain he was currently drowning in._

_Thinking back about it, he started to laugh loudly for a few seconds at how stupid he is, but the laughter was soon replaced by tears that became concealed as the millions of droplets from the sky continue to fall. It was as if he was being pitied._

_There was a pitter-patter of someone's footsteps that disrupted the sound of the rain. Probably his mother or father... It could never be Aya._

"_Yu-chan! What do you think you're doing?!"_

_He swivelled his head at the direction of the voice in shock._

"_Nana-chan? Aren't you suppose to be playing at a concert today?"_

"_It hasn't started yet," she replied through gasps for air, "Why are you out here at a time like this?"_

_He looked away._

"_You should go before you're late. I'll be fine."_

"_Yu-chan do you know what you're saying? You could get really sick and maybe even die if you continue to stay in the rain like this!" she grabbed him by the shoulders with a fierce look in her eyes and shook him, "I want to know what is wrong and I want to hear it NOW!"_

_He gaped at her change in attitude for a few seconds and she continued to glare back at him._

"_...Aya told me she has someone she likes and refuses to go to those sunflower fields we were planning to go to because its their special place now. I got into a fight with her after because I was jealous... she probably hates me now."_

_She gave a big sigh._

"_I know, you probably think I'm being dumb again, but—it's not as if I can stop myself from feeling hurt."_

_She shook her head, "You're not being dumb. It's called being human and even if you were being dumb, we all have our moments. I don't know who this boy is, but... the most important thing and you've said it yourself is Aya-chan's happiness... I'm sure you're someone who can do that... even though she may like someone else right now."_

_Her voice was strained for a moment there._

"_Also, I don't think Aya-chan hates you, but you need make up with her and you can't do that when you're out in the rain, right?"_

"_...Well, no, I can't."_

"_So what do you say we head back? I'll ask my driver to take you home," she smiled and offered a hand which he held._

"_I'm sorry. You're soaking," he spoke softly as he stared at her hair and dress._

"_Don't worry, I still have time to change."_

* * *

Looking back at it, that was definitely a lie and he couldn't help but believe that it was the catalyst. She had never put off any of her lessons or parties or really anything her grandmother wanted her to do until that day.

"_You never notice her do you?"_

He pinched the bridge of his nose and hissed as another realization struck him. It was as if a veil had lifted over his head as this thought came to light. It wasn't just her family that caused her pain.

"...silly..."

The voice was faint, but was audible enough to hear from where he sat in the quiet room. Yu lifted his head up and turned to where the source was. She was still drunk in deep slumber, but her lips parted to mutter something else.

"...paperwork..."

If he were one of those characters in the manga Alan had been secretly reading he would've been sweatdropping. On the bright side, at least she wasn't having any nightmares. He smiled at the sight of her peaceful slumber. Though her words weren't directed at him, but it woke him up as he remembered what he said to her earlier.

He glanced back at the moon; the clouds the once covered most of it had drifted away.

* * *

"Please get changed into some comfortable outdoor wear you can easily walk and sweat in."

She blinked a few times at the sudden command from the man wearing casual wear that was standing in from of her door at half past five in the morning. No one was really awake at this time and probably for good reasons.

"I have work today, you know," she replied back with a perplexed expression. Well, as perplexed as she could get when she was still craving for slumber. "Don't you?"

He dug for his phone from the pocket of his coat and pressed a few things on the screen before showing her the screen of his schedule. Today was marked as "break" in blue.

"Do you really want to go to work today?" he gave her a teasing smile.

"Well..." she shifted her eyes away from him causing her to be more aware of how painful the puffiness of the area around her eyes were. She sighed. A part of her was still cringing at how she behaved yesterday, but Yu sure knew how to lighten the awkwardness.

She could really use some fresh air and she didn't have any patients coming in today nor were there any meetings. No one would really notice if she was absent since she spent most of her day in office. Plus, paperwork could always wait.

"Not really." Her eyes travelled back to his indigo ones. "But where are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there. Just change for now. I'll be waiting in the car just a few minutes away by foot from the palace," Yu grinned mischievously as he playfully and lightly shoved her back into her room. Then the door gently closed in front of her face.

* * *

"Here," he handed her two round green tea bags the minute she finished fastening her seatbelt, "Soak them in this thermos of hot water and apply on your eyes. They should help make the puffiness fade away faster. Just sit back and relax."

"Thank you," she spoke and carried out the instructions as he started to drive. "So, are we heading there now?"

"No, we're going to need to have breakfast first since we'll need all the energy we can get. I also need to buy lunch for us since I doubt they sell them at the place we'll be going to. I'm sorry I couldn't prep up bento for the two of us."

"It's alright," she replied as she was still pressing the wet tea bags against her eyelids, "This was a last moment thing and there's always next time. Will we be going to Kashiwabara-san—I mean, Atsumu-san's place?"

"No. His place doesn't open until later in the day. We'll just drop by a restaurant followed. Then, we'll buy some lunches at this bento shop. I've never bought anything from that particular bento shop before but I've heard that it's one of the most popular ones in this city."

"Is it the Kotobuki Bento Shop?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Like you said, it's popular. I heard my roommate talking about it since it's run by a famous singer's mother and how he occasionally helps out there. She's a singer herself and likes to research about other singers nationally and internationally. She also likes listing random facts that she finds in magazines. Her room is full of cutouts from magazines and autographs."

"Maybe we should get his autograph for her if he happens to be there today," she could her him chuckling.

"Welcome to the Kotobuki Bentou Shop~ How may I help you two today?" a cheerful voiced piped up from across the counter. Nadeshiko and Yu just hung their mouths open slightly at the sight for what stretched on like moments. The brunette man's bright smile was starting to become strained at the lack of response before speaking out again.

"Umm... is something wrong?"

Nadeshiko was the first to jump back a little. She gave him a courteous, yet flustered bow in response.

"My sincerest apologies for our rudeness," she then lifted her heard up. "It's not everyday that we run into a someone such as yourself."

Well... not exactly. They did see people who were of high social status or famous daily, but rarely those in the entertainment business.

"That's alright. I'm pretty use to it by now. Just treat me casually, okay?" he smiled brightly once more. "So, what will you two be ordering?"

She took a brief scan of the kinds of bento available for the one that had the most vegetables, "I will have that one, please."

"Then make that two, please," Yu spoke and the man started to bring them out. Yu took advantage of what little time they had to whisper in her ear. "I was joking before, but wouldn't you want to ask for his autograph for your friend?"

She could feel the blood rushing and pumping within her ears at the way his breath tickled her ears, but she urged herself to keep cool.

"Do you think he'll mind?" as she stood on her tip-toes, cupped a hand over one side of her mouth and whispered while staring at the humming man who was packaging their lunches.

"I don't think he will," he gave her an encouraging smile. She wasn't sure if she was still half-asleep, but she could've sworn his ears were slightly pink. It wasn't too chilly today either.

"Okay, we'll need to take the train to get there from here," Yu said as soon as they drove into the parking lot of the station. "You might want to tuck that into the glove compartment."

She folded the paper containing the autograph neatly in half where it wouldn't damage where he signed in and stuck it inside. The thought of how Nicky was going to ask her all sorts of questions made her unconsciously slip out a grin.

* * *

Just as they were unbuckling their seat belts they heard a sudden click and thud along with a shadow behind the back seat of the car. The two of them snapped their heads to the back and saw an unfamiliar man sitting on one of the seats. His face was initially concealed until he peeled the black baseball cap off his head and gave them a bright smile.

"Good morning! You're a bit early today. Why did you suddenly decide to par—huh?"

The three of them glanced at each other in silent shock. The strange man was the first to break the silence.

"Wh—whoa! Sorry, wrong car!" And he immediately scurried out faster than a squirrel catching glimpse of the first nut it sees after hibernation.

"That was... random."

"Yeah... it was," he nodded and then his features froze in place for a split second. "Wait! Wasn't that... Kajima Yuta?"

The name drew a blank in her mind. "Do you know him Yu-chan?"

"Sort of... apparently he's a rising star as a comedian."

"I didn't you know you liked variety shows, Yu-chan."

He shook his head, "I haven't seen any, but I've read around. One has to do a thorough amount of research about one's country just in case. It's a funny day so far, isn't it? We've ran into two celebrities so far... I wonder if he didn't get a clear look of our faces before he entered the car." And he stared off at the direction the man fled.

"Your windows are tinted, remember? Hmm... he could've been meeting up with his manager or something."

"Such a shame we couldn't ask for his autograph."

"I don't think my friend knows much about Oriesian comedy, though."

* * *

Today was just full of surprises, but this was the first intended surprise she experienced.

"A mountain? We're going to hike to the summit of this mountain and back down?" she gaped at her friend as they stood at the entrance. "Do you have any idea how many hours this will take?"

"About an hour and a half without breaks, but since we'll be taking some rest stops... add in another hour, maybe?" he grinned at her like it's the most natural thing.

"I've been out of shape," she frowned.

"Then it's good exercise and you will feel like you've accomplished something once you're at the peak."

She still didn't look impressed. "I never knew aching joints and exhaustion were accomplishments. If I wanted to be proud of something, I'd take a look at my diploma."

"Could it be that you're afraid the elders and kids would be faster than you?" he stared at her with innocent wide eyes. Scratch the innocent and replace it with mockery.

"..." she puffed her cheeks as she buried her nose into the warmth of her powder pink cashmere scarf. "...Yes."

"Don't worry," he gave her a sweet smile in contrast to the torture he was going to put her through and he held out a hand towards her, "We'll take our own sweet time, okay?"

A heavy sigh leaked out of her before she accepted his hand. "You know this is still random, right?"

"I prefer the term 'spontaneous'. It's more fun and romantic that way."

"Of course."

Maybe she wasn't so out of shape as she thought. She wasn't gasping for air by the time they made it up to the peak, nor was she on her hands and knees. There was this sense of relief that it was over for now.

"So, what do you think?" he spoke up from beside her.

"Mmm, it wasn't so bad and the view of the autumn leaves we saw as we hiked up was worth it," she gave him a tiny smile.

"Then how about I show you a nicer view," he took her by the hand one more and led her to a viewing platform.

"Wow!" was all she could say. The hues of autumn leaves that stretched for what seemed like forever from the elevated height where they stood was absolutely mesmerizing. She leaned over the wooden fence unconsciously to get a better look before turning back to him with a big and bright grin.

"Thank you for taking me out. I feel much better. Ah..." she could then feel the warmth of his palm on her right cheek.

"That's the smile I love." And off her heart soared which sent her whole system in panic. Her eyes darted around to find an escape and spot a shop that situated not too far from where they stood.

"Oh! There's a shop that sells postcards of the mountain," she said with a louder voice than usual as she leaped away from their contact. "And look! You can put them in the mailbox over there to send them off! Isn't that cool? I think I'll get some for my friends."

And off she fled.

Yu sure was acting strange today. Was the thought that ran through her head as she absentmindedly scribbled a few words on the one of the postcards she purchased.

Sure, he was usually caring, but she couldn't remember the last time they held hands for just a casual outing. He never touched her cheek before either. The best she got was a pat on the head or shoulder. Ugh, maybe she was reading into it more than necessary.

After she was done and about to head out to slip them into the box, something stole her glance. It was a postcard with a picture taken of the platform where they stood earlier.

On second thought, she'll get another one.

* * *

The train ride back was quieter than usual and slightly less cramped enough for them to find a seat this time. Yu and Nadeshiko didn't exchange words for a while as they glanced out at the scenery with a serene look. When Yu finally decided to speak up he discovered something unexpected. There she was fast asleep beside him. Her head was tilting back and forth in an attempt to find something to lean against.

He realized that he could never get tired of seeing her sleeping face. But the peaceful moment was replaced by a twinge of panic as she began to lean closer to the shoulder of a young man on the left side of where she sat. It could be his imagination but the strange man seemed to be eager at the potential situation.

With quick thinking, he gently grabbed her left shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Thus, guiding her to lean on his shoulder instead of the strange man and shot him an apologetic look, though he was far from apologetic on the inside. He was then able to close his eyes with ease as he could pick-up the scent of cherry blossoms from her. The way her head was comfortably place upon his shoulder just felt right.

Today was a strange day... with strange things happening. He did some strange things himself. Yet, this new found feeling of bliss wasn't so strange.

* * *

"I've got a special delivery for you today, Master Yu," Susumu grinned as he held what appeared to be a postcard in between his fingers. Yu, who was having a Libertarian-style breakfast with Alan in the young prince's room placed his knife and fork down with a raised eyebrow. After dabbing the corners of his lips with a napkin, he headed over to where Susumu stood at the door and took the postcard. He then dismissed the butler.

Yu scanned the contents of the card which was written neatly and beautifully:

_Consider this as a token for one of the fond memories we can even recall years from now. Thank you so much for taking me out. It was a great change of pace and I feel as if the weight of my distress lifted up—no, I know it did. I look forward to visiting this place with you again throughout the other seasons. Hopefully, that is alright with you?_

"Of course..." he murmured unconsciously. He was looking forward to the seasons yet to come. He continued to smile as he read the card over and over the he didn't notice the young prince was glancing at it from underneath.

"That's a really pretty picture! Who is it from?"

Yu snapped back to reality and tucked the postcard into his suit. "Someone special to me."

Alan tilt his head to the side as his hazel eyes glimmered in curiosity, but then gave a knowing little grin. "Oh, I know that smile! It's the same one Glenn has on when he thinks about the Princess. Could it be you're thinking about her, too?"

"No, I'm not," he shook his head. Not anymore.

"Hmm... you sure are being stingy today, Yu. Won't you tell me?" he tugged the sleeve of his suit with pleading eyes. Yu let out a soft chuckle and pat the boy's head.

"When the time is right. So, please be patient until that day comes, alright?"

Alan pouted a little bit as he turned to head over to his unfinished breakfast until he caught sight of something from the window.

"Snow!" he dashed over eagerly and pressed his palms against the window. "Yu, look! It's snowing!"

"So, it is," he smiled as he too walked over to see the scenery from outside. He soon caught sight of someone out in the gardens. It was her.

"Look! It's Doctor Shiraishi! Good morning!" Alan waved furiously from where he was. It was as if she sensed their presence and glanced upwards towards their direction with her mouth slightly open. Once she took notice of their presence, she smiled back and waved to Alan. Her eyes then landed on Yu, she gave him a different smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair back—one that sent his heart fluttering.

Though most life had either decayed or went to slumber by this time of year, he knew something in his heart was blooming. And this time, it will be different.


	8. Chapter 8

"Even though the process of transferring paper copies into digital copies is a hefty task, it needs to be completed. It should take our department around six to eight months give to complete this process," Nadeshiko spoke evenly in the medium size meeting room, well in palace terms of being medium, among the physicians.

"As for the physical examinations, it would be best to sparse them out in different intervals every two years instead of hosting an annual one. That way, we can balance our own work hours and the patients are free to schedule their check-ups instead of trying to squeeze in a time frame during the two weeks of late August. I've organized individual schedules for each of you here according to what you've told me along with some of my ideas for that matter. Is there an agreement between us so far?"

There was unanimous agreement among them.

"Great," she nodded before flipping to the next file, "I've also put together all the information you've each provided me in terms of the medication we've been using and I developed a new proposal on our stocks. Take the time to look through them before the next meeting. Have a nice holiday."

Half an hour later, she was in front of Fujiwara's office who was the Head of the Medical Household.

"Come in," he spoke after she knocked and announced her presence.

She had barely opened the door when she noticed the Sergeant Surgeon Matsuda's figure on one of the seats. He met eyes with her and gave a smile.

"Don't worry about interrupting us, Doctor Shiraishi, we're only discussing a few trivial matters right now."

Though, there was nothing physically wrong with with his smile or mannerisms, her stomach couldn't help but churn in response. Still, she effortlessly smiled at the two men courteously and stepped forward.

"Good afternoon, gentleman," she bowed towards each of them before handing over a small file to Fujiwara. "I'm just here to drop off the recorded discussions during today's meeting between the physicians. We've agreed upon the first part of the proposal. The latter part will be discussed after the holidays."

Matsuda somehow felt obliged to comment.

"Oho, four months in and you're already seeking out reforms. You sure are dedicated. It sure reminds me of how hot-blooded I was in my youth." He should be more careful; his smile was distorting—was what she thought.

"Sometimes it's the youth that gets thing done and bring in fresh ideas. Don't you think so, Dr. Matsuda?" the Head asked before taking another sip of his coffee cup. Nadeshiko and the Surgeon glanced back at him in astonishment for his sudden compliment... well, or what was close to a compliment towards a newcomer like her.

The Surgeon was faced with no choice but to agree. From the corner of her eye as she excused herself out of them room, she can see his jaw muscles were taut, but didn't waste anymore time and made a quick exit. There was a spring to her steps and a giddiness to her smile as she shut the door and walked away. All that came to a halt as soon as she saw the door of Prince Glenn's office opening and she adjusted herself to a more professional manner of walking.

It seemed her guard was on for nothing, since she saw that it was only Yu who left the room with a bow before shutting the door. It didn't take long for him to be aware of her presence from the corner of his eye.

"Just in time. I was about to make a search for you. I was wondering if you could spare me some of your time right now," he smiled gently as he strolled towards her. "The orders for the materials you needed just came in this morning and they're in my office. I also need to ask you a few questions before I get the schedule organized."

"I have an hour to spare before a patient drops by so that's fine with me," she nodded and the headed off to his office.

"Did I step into Santa's workshop or something?" she gasped upon seeing all the presents in different sizes in fancy Christmas paper wrapping stacked neatly in the room.

"We didn't want the presents for the orphanage to get mixed up with the presents for the staff party, so we decided to store them here for now since my office is fairly large," he replied as he headed to the back of his desk.

This year, Glenn and Aya are deciding to spend their Christmas Eve with the children at the capital's only orphanage along with Alan. Yu of course, was obliged to accompany them and had suggested that Nadeshiko too should join in since she had yet to make holiday plans that time. She accepted the offer with joy and volunteered to help the children make origami ornaments to decorate their tree.

"The staff here sure are efficient, didn't you just gather the letters the children wrote to Santa two days ago?" she spoke as she continued to pace around observing the presents.

"Yes, and we sought out to buy and then wrap everything soon afterwards," he then carried and placed a large cardboard box down the table. "Here they are. Take a look at see if they're alright first."

She set the folders she was hugging aside on the desk and reached for the utility knife. After cutting the box open, she peered into the contents.

"It looks like they got the right order," she nodded and spot something else on the table. "Oh... you're learning origami?"

Yu flushed and shyly nodded while scratching the back of his head. "Since we're going to be teaching the children how to fold cranes, mini-trees, and stars, I thought I'd learn a little before I embarrass myself."

"You could have asked me you know," she gave him a grin rivalling the Cheshire cat's before shifting it to a gentle one. "Just kidding. I know you wanted to give me some space since I've been busy. I'll be waiting to see your improvement on the day we're visiting then."

He laughed. "That reminds me, the proposal went well didn't it? Congratulations, Nadeshiko."

The way he addressed her now seemed so surreal. It wasn't as if she found felt unsettled by it. Actually, it was far from it. She never knew how blissful it felt to be just called by her name until now. And she too, began to address him as "Yu" during their private moments.

It also wasn't the only thing that changed. Though the changes were subtle, she understood that they were extremely significant. For example, he never touched her anymore-not in a sense of keeping his distance, of course. Instead, she felt that they were closer than ever because of these changes. There was only one conclusion she had for why things are changing, but chose not to dwell on it too much as she wanted something more concrete to happen.

Pulling away from her thoughts, she managed to cracked another smile. "Thanks, I would ask how you know, but you know my behaviour too well. I'm glad we're officially on holidays after today. I need to shop for presents. I can't believe I've been so busy with this proposal and business trips with you guys that I couldn't even spare time to go out. I've never went later than a month for these things before."

"You deserve a nice break."

"So do you."

"I still have some things to take care of for the next few days like the King's birthday on the 23rd. Luckily, Glenn and Aya are taking things easy during this season and until New Year's. Would you care for some tea?"

"I'd love to, but my patient awaits," she spoke apologetically and looked as disappointed as he was. He proceeded to escort her to the door. There was something strangely fidgety about him before he took at deep breath. Everything from him then emitted solemness as he stared at her with determined eyes.

"Nadeshiko."

"...Yes?" she spoke hesitantly and eyed him carefully. Her heart was beating rapidly with anxiety at the sudden change in mood.

"Do you want to spend the rest of Christmas Eve with me after we visit the orphanage? As in a date?"

After he finished his last phrase, the papers from her folders epically slid out in a slanting motion and scattered all over the carpeted floor. The two of them panicked and immediately crouched down to collect the papers.

"I think this should be the last of them—Nadeshiko, are you crying?"

She glanced up to see that his face was stunned and finally felt the wetness from her eyes.

"Oh my, isn't this embarrassing?" she forced out a laugh which ended up sounding like a choked sob as she gently wiped the bottom of her eyes. Her hand reached out to stuff the papers back into the folders.

"I'm fine and... I'll be looking forward to our date," she gently smiled and patted his shoulder before standing up.

"Me too," he spoke with a smile mirroring her own.

"I'll be off now."

* * *

Not too long after Nadeshiko left the office, there was a knock on his door. Did she perhaps forgot something? He was sure they both gathered all the papers that fell. Maybe something else?

"Come in," he spoke in a cheerier tone than usual.

But it wasn't her.

"Glenn forgot to give you these papers so I offered to deliver them to you since he's caught up in a few things," Aya gave him a small smile as she walked towards the front of his desk. The sound of her heels were muffled by the carpet.

"Thanks, Aya," he returned her with the same smile as he took the papers from her hands.

She didn't leave yet. Instead, she stood there and fidgeted. Her lips curved into something anxious and she appeared to be building up a burst of courage.

"I... I met Nana-chan on the way here. From the look on her face... I'm guessing something good has happened between you two?"

If it was a few months—even a year or more back he would've thought bitterly to himself why she was perceptive for such things instead of the feelings he harboured all these years. However, no such thought appeared.

"Yes, something good did happen. I asked Nadeshiko out," he spoke with a tone of sereneness as he straightened the papers and filed them neatly on his desk.

"That's really great! I'm happy for the both of you," she spoke cheerfully as she gave him a pleasant smile once more. He gave her a "thank you" and silence followed after as she still remained glued to her spot.

"Yu-chan," she spoke once more and fixed her strikingly solemn eyes at him, "I want you to know that I really mean what I said. I can't say that I know everyone intimately in this world; however, you two deserve happiness more than anyone I know."

"Because..." her eyes wandered off to the floor, "I'm one of the ones who've cause you two so much pain all these years. Even though I may act like I don't notice, but I have noticed ever since the incident with Lord Kaneda. From afar through the corner of my eyes. However, if I waver, I would only cause you two more pain. So, I have to continue moving forward and continue to be happy."

"Oh! But, don't think of it as I'm not happy because I really am-"

She was so caught up in her endless rambling that she didn't notice him approaching her until she felt his hand on her right shoulder.

"Aya, don't worry. I understand. I apologize that these thoughts have been consuming you for so long..." there was a brief glimpse of forlornness in his eyes before he returned to a more calm composure with a smile. "If it didn't happen, then it was never meant to be. Now, we can finally move on and truly be happy."

"Also, despite loving you did cause me pain... it also gave me happiness and many other things. So, I don't regret it and you'll always be important to me... just in a different way now. Therefore... thank you."

"This somehow feels like we're saying goodbye," she cracked a little smile.

"It's not really goodbye when I'll be running into you and Glenn a few hours later," he chuckled. "Off you go now."

"As realistic as ever I see," she feigned a little sigh along with a pout before exiting.

* * *

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" the unanimous squealing sounds coming from her phone made her recoil her head back until they were finished.

"Congratulations!"

"That's so exiting!"

"So, what will you do?"

"What will you say?"

"What will you wear?!" the last question was once again in unison and made her flinch back once again.

"Geez, I can't even tell who is who anymore and you guys act like you two are the ones being asked out instead of me," Nadeshiko spoke back with her voice a tad bit louder than usual and retained a normal tone once the squealing over the line stopped. "Well, I already have something to wear and I think the other two are obvious."

"It's just fun saying stuff like that, though," Nicky spoke and Nadeshiko could imagine her shrugging as she examined her her nails. "Don't cry too much over there, okay?"

"I'm not crying," she retorted back. Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Just messing with you... Oh! I forgot to tell you two something! I earned the leading part for the revival of My Fair Lady over here! They just announced it a few days ago and I hope you two make it once it starts."

"Congratulations! Of course we'll make it, we've never missed a single one of your performances and not to mention it's your first leading role," Becca spoke over the line with sheer enthusiasm.

"Congratulations and I'll definitely reserve some time for you no matter what! When is it, by the way?"

"From late April to mid-May, so there's plenty of leeway to organize your schedules... like bringing your boyfriend along, Nade," she added the last part with a sly tone.

"He's not my boyfriend," she retorted with a frown.

"You mean, he's not your boyfriend yet," Becca chimes in with equal slyness.

"You two..." she sighed, but there was a wide grin playing against her lips. "I don't recall ever doing anything during the times you guys dated to deserve such teasing. I'll try asking him, but I can't guarantee anything."

"Well, we'll look forward to meeting him if he does show up. Oh, let me tell you about this passenger I had on my flight a few weeks ago..."

And the night continued on with lighthearted chatter.

* * *

The bells attached to the door chimed lightly as she poked her head inside the shop. Her eyes scanned across the room to observe all the uniquely designed clocks. The store display was one thing, but the inside was like stepping into a whole new world. The atmosphere was relatively quiet, since none of the clocks—save for one on the counter—were not in operation, probably for noise level control as well as battery conservation for the ones that aren't mechanical.

At the centre of it all was the shop owner who just finished selling something to a customer and went over to greet her. She introduced herself as a friend of Yu's and they chatted amiably for a while about him as well as the owner's work.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" he offered.

"Oh! I almost forgot what I came here for today. I'm just planning to browse around for a present," she smiled sheepishly and the owner nodded before stepping behind the counter to repair a clock.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything."

She began to wander around glancing at the shelves and display cases. At first, she had trouble finding something right in particular since all of them were so beautifully crafted and unique. However, none of them really seem to fit the keyhole. After looking around some more she spotted one hiding in the back of a shelf. It was a silver anniversary clock that used glass domes shaped like jellyfish there were other deep sea designs within the clock as well that made it resemble an aquarium within a clock.

If memory served her right, he was always fascinated by the deep sea from the times they ventured to the aquarium or to the local bookstores. Last time she went into his room, she did see a few books like that. Therefore, this would be a nice one for him. She studied the clock a bit more and begin to frown a little. She wondered if it was alright to buy it.

Then she recalled what Nicky and Becca had once told her.

"_A good gift you can get someone is something that they really want, but they're too embarrassed to buy for themselves for whatever their personal reason is," Becca spoke while she tied her hair up._

"_Yeah, that way they can use the reason that it was a gift as an excuse to use it. However, they're actually totally happy about it!" Nicky nodded vigorously as she was dangerously waving her hair straighter around. "Like my brother. He still really likes Shiffey, but he keeps saying stuff like he's older now, so he's too shy to buy any merchandise. So, I bought him a nice cup design of it for his birthday. Should've have seen the look on his face."_

She stared at it once more.

Should be fine then. And she headed back to the counter to ask the owner for the clock.

"That's a fine clock you've chosen. The maker of that clock retired a while ago and this is one among the few that haven't been sold yet. I hope the person you're buying it for will like it," he spoke as he removed the clock from the shelf.

"I hope so, too," she smiled as she followed him to the counter. "By the way, I was wondering if you could give me some directions to get to the local flower shop. The one Yu usually visits."

* * *

Around an hour before they were off to visit the orphanage, Nadeshiko was slipping into the strapless periwinkle dress Aya had designed for her along with a few other things to go with it. She was in the midst of fixing the hem of the black mesh overlay of the skirt until Aya requested an entrance. The first thing Nadeshiko noticed was that Aya was hiding something behind her back as she carefully stepped inside attempting to conceal what she held in her hands from Nadeshiko. She then noticed that Aya had worn the brooch she gave to her earlier this morning and complimented it.

"You look great, Nana-chan! Gorgeous! The dress suits you so much," she spoke with a bubbly tone.

"Thank you, and I could say the same to you," she nodded and hovered her gaze over to what Aya could possibly be hiding behind her. "Did you come here to give me something?"

"Yes. Since I might not get the chance to give it to you tonight or tomorrow, I thought I'd give them now," she popped open a small jewelry gift box that revealed a pair of white gold drop earrings. "Plus, I think they'd go with the dress."

"Aya-chan... thank you," she spoke as she gazed at her friend and the earrings tenderly. She placed the box on the top of the dresser and started to place them on.

"About tonight... you two don't have to worry about accompanying us home and then going to your date, Glenn will drive Alan and I home," Aya spot from where she was sitting at edge of the bed smoothing out the sheet with her palms.

Nadeshiko glanced up at the mirror to look at Aya as she just finished wearing the earrings, "Are you sure that's alright? I thought Prince Glenn and you would be going on a date as well."

"Well, we've had our fair share of sneaking out on dates for the past few years while Yu would hold the fort," she laughed in return. There was a look of fondness as she momentarily recollected the memories before she turned her attention back to her friend.

"So, now it's time to start returning the favour. Besides, it's nice to spend a peaceful Christmas at home just as much. Alan might complain a bit about wanting to join you guys but he'll probably fall asleep in the car halfway or maybe even before that."

"I guess agreeing to open presents tomorrow instead of today with him also somewhat makes up for it, but... what about the paparazzi?" Nadeshiko questioned as she started to dab some light makeup on.

"Don't worry, Nana-chan. We're just driving home alone. It is true that we're usually with Yu, but everyone's too drunk in holiday festivities and relaxation to notice. The situation isn't much of a scoop for them to blow something up anyways. You two just get out there and have fun, okay?"

"...Alright," she nodded, finally convinced. "I hope you and Glenn have fun, too. Don't get too wild while we're gone, alright?"

"No promises there!"

* * *

"Once you've finished tucking the flaps of the paper like this," Nadeshiko spoke as she slowly performed the instructions she just spoke and lift the folded paper up. "You blow into the tiny hole at the tip and it becomes... something that resembles a tiny present box."

She then held out her creation for everyone to see and they all followed suit.

"Wow! It really does look like a tiny present box!" Alan, who at the opposite side of the large table exclaimed which caused the others to chime in.

"I can't wait to put it on the tree!"

We got a big one this year, too!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying this. Now we can use these thin ribbons to tie some bows on them."

She waited patiently for them to finish and wandered around a few times to help those who were still struggling. After a few minutes there was the sound of a group of people heading into the main hallway, who were none other than the workers along with Yu, Aya, and Glenn carried trays of an assortment of hot dishes out.

"Lunch time!" the Director of the Orphanage announced and the children immediately cried out with joy.

"Just leave everything on the table her and take a seat over at the dinner table, alright?" Nadeshiko spoke and they obediently did so. She then jogged over to help the adults sort out the utensils and distribute everything.

"Hey," Yu gave her a boyish grin as he approached her soon after they finished and were about to start gathering their own dinner.

She avoided his eyes as her gaze took a sudden interest on the carpeted floors. Her cheeks were tinged slightly pink and there was a silly little grin tugging against her lips as she stuttered out, "H—Hey..."

Her sudden shyness was both amusing and endearing towards him. They barely had contact since the day he asked her out. Albeit it wasn't something particularly strange as they were both busy with various things, but couldn't help but missed her.

He grabbed two plates and handed one over to her. As soon as she thanked him and barely got hold of the plate he suddenly spoke out affectionately, yet softly so only she could hear, "You look beautiful."

Her body stiffened in reaction and it took her a second to realize that the plate had slipped out of her grasp. However, Yu had caught it with ease and elegance.

"Careful now," he spoke with a playful tone and equally playful smile.

She grumbled a bit as she took the plate back, "You did that on purpose."

He let out a laugh, "Well, I can't deny that."

"Geez," she sighed a little before giving him a wry smile as the tension was gone from her body. "Thanks for the compliment, Yu. You're looking handsome yourself... you always do."

The last part was spoken a bit mischievously. Sure enough, it got a reaction out of him causing her to burst into laughter. Yu could feel his face heating up a bit for multiple reasons. He could even spot Aya watching them from a distance with a smirk, which he returned with a slight glower. Unfortunately that only widened his friend's smirk as she shrugged and turned back to her conversation with Glenn.

He cleared his throat. "Let's just finish getting the food and find somewhere to sit shall we?"

* * *

After lunch was done and so were all the decorations, all that was left was to hang them up. The children along with the director, Glenn, Aya, and Alan were in charge with hanging them up on the tree while everyone else, including Yu and Nadeshiko were decorating them around the room and hallway.

"I must say... those origami poinsettias back there were lovely," the raven hair lady spoke as she hung up a stocking, "All that practice paid off for you. I'm proud, yet surprised."

"You make it sounded like you wanted me to mess up," he smiled with good nature as he was searching for some more decorations in a box.

"Well... maybe just a little. It's not everyday I'd get to see a flustered Yu," she grinned back impishly, looking down towards where he was crouching.

"Really? I think you've been seeing me being flustered quite often lately."

"You're right..." she closed her eyes for a split second before turning to meet his eyes with a smile. "It seems that I'm the only one of the ones who gets to see your flustered face as well. I feel a bit presumptuous saying this, but it makes me feel special."

"That's because you are special. You—" he halted his words right after he realized what he was about to blurt out as soon as Nadeshiko's expression changed to one of astonishment. He mentally chastised himself for nearly confessing before the right moment. He began to fluster around for an excuse until Alan approached them.

"Nadeshiko! Yu! We're done decorating the tree and going to start playing hide-and-seek soon! You two should join us! Glenn and Aya are joining us, too!"

Nadeshiko was the one to speak up first.

"Sure, that sounds fun. What do you think, Master Yu?" She gave him a completely friendly, yet reserved smile and she looked over towards him waiting for a reply.

"I agree," he spoke with a polite smile. "We're almost done here, anyways. So, we'll be ready in one or two minutes."

Around five to six minutes later, Nadeshiko and Yu found themselves inside an arts and crafts supply closet. They had decided this would be a fair place to hide. It was within a child's eye level, yet it wasn't a dead giveaway either.

It was not as cramped as they thought it would be. In fact, there was a lot of wiggle room as Nadeshiko was sitting on the floor with her legs folded to one side, since she was wearing a dress. Yu was sitting on the other end of the closet with his back pressed against the door.

They could barely see each other's silhouettes let alone their expression as their eyes did not adjust to the darkness yet.

"How long do you think it will take for them to find us?" Yu asked, attempting to strike a conversation.

"Not too long. Maybe ten to twenty minutes."

The conversation died after that for a few minutes. They didn't hear any footsteps passing by so far either. He was beginning to feel the walls close in on him, not to mention the temperature of the room seemed to be increasing. The silence between them was just getting more and more uncomfortable. However, he didn't really know what else he could say without letting something slip-

"Thank you for the other day," she suddenly spoke up in a clear, but quiet voice so only he could hear. "I managed to find where they were at the cemetery."

"There's no need to thank me. I just thought you'd be better off knowing. I still find it hard to believe that they kept you in the dark about where your parents' ashes were."

"Well..." by now his eyes have gotten use to the room and could see her melancholic smile as her eyes cast downwards. "I guess that shows how things are still bitter even after they died. Besides... I didn't know what I could possibly have done or say if I visited them. But, I'm still glad I know where they are now."

She leaned her head back against the shelves with a sigh.

"I just stood there for a long time not knowing what to do, though."

"That's okay. Just take your time. Alright?"

"Yeah, thanks, Yu. I'm glad you're here." He could faintly see her close her eyes with a relaxed smile, but they immediately snapped open upon hearing the excited voices and footsteps. It was then followed by the sounds of doors opening and closing, which are most likely from the other supply closets before theirs. "Looks like it will be a matter of minutes until they find us."

She made an effort to move a little, but cramped up midway and had to fall back to her previous sitting position.

"Having trouble?" he asked as he quickly stood up and moved closer to her in an attempt to lend her a hand.

"Yeah, I've been sitting like this for too long. Just give me a few seconds to get up. It'll be a lot more stable for me to lift myself up rather then using someone else weight since I'm sitting in an awkward position, but thank you."

She placed her palms down on the floor in an attempt to force herself upwards; however, she didn't take her time and sprung up so suddenly that her lower body failed to catch up yet again. He was close enough to catch reach for her just before her legs let her down.

"Thanks," she gave a sheepish little grin, but then winced a little and gingerly touched the back of her neck. "Looks like I scraped my skin against a shelf or two as I got up."

"May I have a look?"

Once she nodded, he wasted no further time to tug the pull switch of the light above them. He then tilted a bit closer and brushed the back of her hair further to the side. He froze a little the moment he caught a whiff of her shampoo, but placed a stop to those thoughts since it now wasn't the time.

"That's a scrape alright. The good thing is, it's not too bad and it isn't bleeding all that much, but it still must hurt a little doesn't it?"

"Just a bit. It'll be fine if it gets disinfected and bandaged later."

"Then allow me to-"

The door abruptly opened and the knob banged against a shelf causing them to flinch. Then, around half a dozen children eagerly poured into the room.

"Found you two-" Before the two had time to react, the children gasped then started to squeal, while some screamed and covered their eyes as they proceeded to dash away to meet with the other children. From afar, Nadeshiko and Yu could hear them talking loudly amongst themselves.

"They were doing something naughty!"

"I think they were going to kiss!"

"Maybe they already kissed!"

"Just like when we found the Prince and Princess!"

By now, he had distanced himself from her.

"S-sorry. Now that I think about it, that was an awkward position to be looking from," he coughed.

"That's alright. If I were to turn around for you to have a better look, I think they would still misunderstand," she smiled in an it-can't-be-helped way while fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "I can't guarantee that they misunderstood what they saw with Aya and Prince Glenn, though."

"Me either," he laughed. "I guess that's another reason why they would've misunderstood us regardless."

"Now that we've been found," she headed towards the entrance and glanced back at him, "shall we be off? I recalled I hearing a certain someone offer to help me before the children came in."

* * *

She felt herself tense up as she sensed him sitting behind her and could hear him let out a chuckle.

"I haven't even started yet and you're already squirming?"

Her mouth opened out of reflex in order to protest, but clamped shut since what she was about to say would've been much worse than being assumed that she was scared of pain. She had tried her best to suppress her nerves when he leaned in that close to the point where his breath tickled her skin. Not to mention, he smelled really, really nice. It was a mix of something sweet—most likely because he was in charge of baking the sweets for the children earlier before, as well as a fresh sort of scent. Like the fresh smell after spring rain.

Her shoulders tensed up even more and balled her hands into fists. Just thinking about it now is driving her up the wall. She had been trying her best to hide the fact that she was high strung this whole day in anticipation for the event the follows after their visit to the orphanage and she could tell Yu was going through the same thing.

Just as she was going through all these thoughts and actions, Yu was dabbing the cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol against her scrape.

"Is it really that painful—oh... I see."

She could hear him chuckle again and she was sure he caught on by now because she didn't even have to pull out her compact mirror out to know that she her face, even her ears were pink.

"You know, it's nice to have the situation reversed for change. Since it would usually be you giving me a check up or treatment," he spoke once more, probably to help save her some face as well as calm her down.

She glanced back at him and decided to play along, "I'm hurt here and you're happy about it?"

"It's not even that serious of an injury," he said as he slapped the band-aid on her. It wasn't anything aggressive, but the sudden action made her flinch a little. "You're all good to go."

"Thanks, Doctor Yu. What would I ever do without you?"

"So this is where you two have been." It was none other than Aya peeking her head inside the small infirmary and eyed both of them with a worried look. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I got a little scrape, that's all. Is it almost time to go?"

"Almost, we just have to clean up a bit first while the kids are having the Christmas cakes Yu made. By the way, I tried a bit of your cake, Yu. It was delicious!"

"So you mean, he didn't burn it?" Naeshiko shot him a smirk.

"Well, I can't have you eating burnt food forever, can I?" he said this as he stood up to place the materials back where he got them from.

"What are you guys talking about?" Aya wrinkled her eyebrows at them before she shifted it to a grin. "Oh, I get it. It's an inside joke, right? We'll be waiting for you two in the dining hall. Don't take too carried away now, okay?" She winked.

"I should be saying that to you and Prince Glenn when we were playing hide-and-seek with the children," Nadeshiko fluttered her eyelashes teasingly at her childhood friend.

Aya's face turned fifty shades of red.

* * *

"Thank you for coming to visit us this year," the Director spoke as his staff gave Glenn and Aya a bow.

"Thank you for your gracious hospitality and I hope the children will enjoy their presents tomorrow morning," the prince spoke before they walked out of the estate.

Nadeshiko and Yu were right behind them. Alan, who was now fast asleep, was being carried by Yu. Once they arrived at where the two cars were parked, Yu gently seated the sleeping prince inside Glenn's car before bidding a goodbye.

"Have fun, okay?" Aya smiled and waved as they drove away.

"Thanks, we will!" Nadeshiko spoke as she returned the same gestures. She then lifted the switch to close the window and glanced at Yu.

"So, where are we heading?"

"To this gourmet restaurant called Kikufuji," Yu answered, but his eyes were firm on the road.

She glanced at the built in clock in the car and noted that it was indeed around dinner time.

"Sounds good."

* * *

"That was a really delicious meal. Where do you find all these nice places to eat, anyways?" she raised an eyebrow after she placed her chopsticks down.

"Atsumu's close friends with the son of the owner of this place, actually. So, I just happened to learn from him," he admitted and then called for a waitress to clean their dishes.

"I'll be back with your dessert within a few minutes," the waitress spoke with a polite smile before she left the room.

Nadeshiko blinked a few times and tilted her head to the side.

"We didn't order any dessert, did we?"

"We didn't," he nodded before giving her a meaningful smile. "But, I had something special planned beforehand."

The special something turned out to be a Oriesian-styled Christmas cake, which was a sponge cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. However, instead of the white whipped cream, which was more common, it had chocolate whipped cream instead. It was of a smaller size, too. Enough for two people to finish.

"You prefer chocolate more, right?" And he cut out a slice for her.

She nodded and said the usual words before digging in. The sponge cake was moist. The chocolate whipped cream was extremely light and melted right away in the mouth. It was also incredibly sweet. It wasn't an sickeningly sweet taste, but quite the opposite. It complimented well with the fresh strawberries on top and within the filling of the cake. Also, there was a coolness to the cake, probably because it had been in the fridge prior to this, which made it taste even better.

"It's really delicious. I've never tasted anything like this whipped cream before," she forked up another bite sized piece from the slice she had and said, "My compliments to the chef," before happily placing it in her mouth.

"The chef gives his thanks then," he then casually took a bite as well.

She placed her fork down and gave at him a disbelieving look.

"No way..."

"Yes way," he smiled in delight and she could've sworn there was a hint of smug in his voice. "I made it especially for today and contacted the staff about it beforehand. I'm glad you didn't get the chance to have any cake at the orphanage."

"Even if I did have some at the orphanage, I'd still be glad to eat it again," she smiled as she fondly stared at the cake. "But trying it for the first time here like this does make it a lot more special. All this food is making me a bit drowsy, though..." Her eyes were beginning to droop as she spoke.

"Well, we don't want that to happen, do we?" he then scooped up another bite sized piece from the slice with his fork and moved it so it was now centimetres away from her lips. "Maybe this will keep you awake and excited."

Her eyes immediately went on full alert and she backed up a bit. "I think I'm awake now, thanks."

And he inched closer with the fork that balanced the piece of cake still in hand. "You think?"

She scooted back a little more. "I mean, I know I'm awake now."

He came closer. "But we have to make sure, just in case."

"Yu, I'm backed up against a wall now," she tore her eyes away from his intense gaze as her heart was beating a mile a minute."It's weird... and embarrassing..."

"Really?" he blinked feigning innocence. "So, it's weird and embarrassing if I move closer like... this?"

Too close! She felt like she was suddenly thrown in a sauna. Thank goodness no one else would come in unless they were called.

"Okay, fine! You win," she glared at him, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, she chomped down on the fork, with a bit more impact than she calculated causing her front teeth to feel a twinge of pain, and ate the piece. "As you can see, I'm wide awake now."

He moved away, looking awfully pleased with himself. "Good. I knew that would do the trick."

"I'll get you back eventually," she muttered under her breath and fanned her face.

* * *

"So, this is the famous Caretta Illuminations I've heard about..." Nadeshiko spoke while her eyes wandered around in awe as they stood in front of the shopping district.

"We're just in time. The animation is about to start. Look," Yu placed one of his gloved hand on her shoulder and pointed upwards to the building's surface.

There was the countdown and gradually the LED lights around them started to light up even brighter than before in light blue and light purple. It was if they were in a magical garden now. At the same time, the animation started to shift and there was music in the air.

"Looks like it's the Snow Queen this year," she heard Yu speaking next to her.

Once the animation ended, most of the crowd had left the scene since it was already pretty late. There were still some couples remaining to take some pictures. Most of them took them while they stood inside the large pine tree made out of LED lights. It was the most brightly lit of them all and was parted in the middle with a space that was large enough for people to enter inside.

"Do you want to go inside it before the lights get turned off?" he asked as soon as the crowd around the large landmark started to disperse and wandered around to observe the lights instead.

"S—Sure..." she nodded feeling slightly fidgety as thoughts roamed wild within her mind in anticipation for what may be coming. That all changed once they stepped inside. She was once again mesmerized by the beauty of it all.

"It's funny how they're just coloured lights, yet they're so beautiful. Humans and animals have always been fond of light. It gives off so much beauty, strength, and life... like the sun, don't you think?"

"I do agree with you, but..." his gaze shifted towards the half moon above them. "I think that light shines the brightest and most beautifulest in the nighttime. Besides, it would be hard to appreciate these lights if it was daytime, don't you think?"

She could feel her heart swelling with warmth despite how cold the night was. After that, they stepped away from the tree and continued to walk around observing the scenery.

"Yu... thanks for bringing me here today. I really had a great time. I've never had such a wonderful Christmas before. I'm glad I was able to finally see something like this."

He understood that she probably wasn't permitted to see these sites back when she still lived with her extended family but... "Are there not any sites like this in Liberty?"

She gave him a complicated smile. "There were. The city where I resided in was one of the most famous ones in the country for their Christmas events and displays. I just never really went out to see them."

"May I know why?"

"Well... one of my friends spends her time with her boyfriend or a date during this time of year when she goes out, while the other spends time with her mother. I couldn't possibly intrude either person so I just stayed at home and gave them the excuse that I was busy with studies of some sort," she looked down and forced out a laugh. "I'm sorry, this conversation suddenly became depressing because of me."

At that moment, she felt him stop walking and grasp one of her hands. As she turned to face him, he then grasped the other.

"You know, my Christmas' haven't been so great as this one for the past few years either. I'm usually busy or trying to forget about something. But, this year..." he slipped one hand away and reached for some loose locks, tucking them back to her ear. "This year, and the years that will come after... I have someone I want to spend it with."

"Nadeshiko, I know my feelings for you are not as strong as what you've felt for me all these years. But, they're growing stronger with each passing day and I'd like for them to be that way so that one day, I can love you as much as you love me. So..." he gently squeeze her hands. "Will you go out with me?"

She knew it was coming. Afterall, he hinted beforehand. She imagined the situation countless of times since that day and rehearsed in her mind what she would say. Yet, hearing the real thing was...

"Nadeshiko...?" she felt the cool and smooth surface of the leather gloves he wore as he cupped both of her cheeks and leaned down to meet here in the eyes. He brushed the tears away with his thumbs.

"Yu..." she avoided his gaze by fixating them on her heels instead. "I haven't cried in years ever since I left for Liberty. And even before that, I rarely cried. Lately, I've cried a total of three times in front of you."

She sniffled a bit before pulling away to grab a handkerchief in her coat pocket. After dabbing her eyes a few times and ignoring the passer-bys who gave them stares full of curiosity, her eyes finally put a stop to the waterworks.

"But," she stared back at him with a soft smile, who had been waited patiently this whole time. "I don't mind it. Not as long as I'm with you. Please take care of me from now on. And umm..."

She was glad it was cold outside so her blush wouldn't be noticed. "I'll... I'll take care of you as well."

In a split second, she was wrapped into an embrace and she could feel his hair tickling one side of her face. It was different, this embrace, from the other times.

"Thank you," she heard him whisper. "And sorry for making you wait so long."

She clung to him and closed her eyes with a blissful smile. "It was worth the wait."

What happened after that felt natural as he pulled back a little before leaning in for a kiss. She was sure that she heard gasps and whispers from those who were around them, but she couldn't care less. It felt like this one kiss, this happiness, this love would last forever.

After a while when they moved apart, Yu was the first to speak.

"It's cold," he laughed.

She did the same and tucked both of her hands inside the pockets of her coat. "Yeah, it's really cold. Should we head back?"

He reached inside on of her pockets and pulled her hand out before interlacing their fingers. "Yeah, let's."

* * *

She stared at the sheet of paper with a frown. The characters which said "WORST LUCK" seemed to be mocking her. Even more so when it was printed to elegantly. She continued to read onto the more specific parts "tragedy in the family with bring the truth to the surface" and "unavoidable circumstances at work will lead you down to an extremely undesirable path".

This was certainly not a way to start the year. She never considered herself as someone who believed in fortunes, much less a strong one, but she couldn't deny that it was a downer. Especially, with all the joy she had been going through as of lately.

She then felt a tug on the sleeve of her furisode.

"What did you get Doctor Shiraishi? I got great luck," the young boy smiled brightly at her as he showed her his slip of fortune.

"Well... I wasn't so lucky," she lowered the paper down to his eye level.

"That makes two of us," and she looked up to see Yu holding up his piece of paper with the words "BAD LUCK IN THE FUTURE" with a crooked smile. From the distance where she stood, she could see the rest of the fortune saying "the situations you've avoided until up now will no longer be avoidable".

The three of them were exploring around the shrine that New Year's morning upon Alan's request. The specific shrine they were in had been booked for the day because a gathering among the six kingdoms was being held. Each prince from their respective nation were attending. There was also a number of officials who were present. Though it was less crowded than most shrines today, it was still pretty bustling.

Back to the present, Alan gave the two of them sad puppy eyes. "What should we do? Will sharing my luck with both of you work?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Yu patted his head. "If we tie the fortunes to those metal wires or pine trees over there, the luck will be stuck there instead of coming onto us."

"Also, if we have faith, be modest, and perform good deeds, things will work out," she chimed in. "What do you say we head over there and then go over to write some wishes?"

That seemed to have done the trick as Alan's frown turned upside down.

"What are you two going to wish for, Doctor Shiraishi, Yu?" Alan piped up as the three of them crouched down on the table.

"Just the general stuff like good health for everyone as well as success and happiness," Yu replied as he paused to look at the Young Prince.

"It's the same with me, too," Nadeshiko spoke as she continued to write.

"But, Doctor Shiraishi, you can't wish for good health or you'll run out of a job!"

She cramped up while Yu just burst out laughing.

"Well, that is true," she started slowly trying to organize her thoughts. "However, doctor's can still check up their patients, give shots even when their patients are perfectly healthy as well as help patients maintain their health.

"What about you, Prince Alan?" Yu, who had now subsided his laughter, asked.

He grinned from ear to ear. "That's a secret!"

"Of course," she giggled as she watched Alan write his wish down while covering it so no one could see. Just then, a large crowd of officials walked past them and she suddenly flinched while cupping her hand over one of her eyes. "Ah... I think I've gotten some dust in my eye."

Yu dropped his marker down in an instant. "Let me see."

She removed her hand and he leaned in to inspect. She looked into his eyes and worked up the courage in her head.

3, 2, 1, now!

Something then happened in a flash and Yu was left with a tingling sensation on his lips as she quickly gave him a kiss. He then saw the smirk on her face.

"Thanks, Yu. I feel all better now." Revenge was sweet as the look on his face was priceless. Even though she could feel her heart thumping like crazy against her chest as well as the heat building up in her ears. Yu was in the midst of stammering something while his face was looking like a ripe cherry tomato until Alan stood up and spoke.

"I'm done! Let's hang them up!"

"Just a minute! Master Yu still hasn't finished his yet," she smiled sweetly. "Isn't that right, Master Yu?"

"Consider yourself lucky," he muttered while looking back at his wooden plague and began to write again.

"I will," she replied as her eyes glittered in smugness. But it was briefly interrupted by the sudden thought of what her fortune said earlier. She frowned. It was just a mere prediction... right? Or so she hoped.


End file.
